


Scattered Leaves

by Dmnq8



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-27
Updated: 2014-07-31
Packaged: 2017-11-08 21:21:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 58,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/447698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dmnq8/pseuds/Dmnq8
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The war was over. Sasuke was back, so where was the happy ending? How did life get so complicated?- Naru/Haku. For Mistralle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A/N: Little teaser for one **Mistralle**. ^_^ Certain events leading up to this story are deliberately left vague. I may allude to them from time to time, but that's it. I will say, though, that the individuals herein are seriously messed up. As is usually the case in my fics. C:  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

# Scattered Leaves

Having Sasuke back in the village sucked.

Naruto could appreciate the fact that he'd earned a smidgeon of respect by turning himself in at the last second, right after the _Edo Tensei_ had been dispelled, but that was as far as his team mate's remorse went. He made no effort to be a part of the village, or rebuild it, or renew old friendships. Uchiha Sasuke walked around as if the mere sight of him in Konoha was a gift beyond price, and he himself was only barely tolerating the inconvenience of breathing mortal air.

It surprised Naruto to realize he hated him.

A little. Sometimes. Okay, maybe he didn't outright hate Sasuke, but he definitely hated the attitude, and flat couldn't stand the looks Sasuke gave him whenever they happened to meet. They were sneering, condescending looks of pure loathing. For his part, Naruto tried to ignore them and Sasuke both…which was hard to do, since Sasuke seemed intent on throwing his exalted person into Naruto's path with disturbing frequency. As if waiting for Naruto to bow down and kiss his feet.

_Wish he'd just go back to wherever he's been the past few years_ , Naruto thought as he ducked beneath a familiar white awning. Ichiraku Ramen was back and better than before, as far as Naruto was concerned. He sat and ordered his usual.

The thought of wishing Sasuke gone shamed him, but it was true. Having Sasuke in the village called up too many confusing emotions. On the one hand, it was the goal he'd chased for four long years at great personal cost. On the other hand, Sasuke being back was nothing like he'd imagined it would be. Made him wonder just what he'd been chasing and why.

"Yo." Kiba ducked in a moment later and waved. "Thought I'd find you here. You were supposed to help me in the west sector today. Ain't right for the village's hero to be such a lazy bastard." He sat and ordered the same as Naruto.

"Wasn't _being_ lazy. Granny made me do extra work in the east end. Punishment for missing work with Lee last week." Rebuilding the village was going slowly.

"Huh. Well if you hadn't skipped off with Inari and Konohamaru…" Kiba left the rest unsaid.

"That was one time. Okay, twice. But maybe if Granny made certain _other_ individuals work, we wouldn't need to push perfectly respectable citizens twice as hard." He jabbed his chopsticks into his bowl of ramen.

Kiba slurped up noodles and fought a grin. "Sasuke."

"Asshole."

"What is it with you and him?"

Naruto whipped his head around fast. "What do you mean? He say something about me?"

"No." Another long slurp. "But he seems…what's the word?" Kiba waved his chopsticks in the air, searching. "Focused on you."

Naruto's eyes went very round. "I knew it," he whispered. "I _knew_ that jackass wasn't running into me by accident."

"Yeah?" Kiba gave him a shrewd look. "Why's that? Everyone in the village was surprised as hell at the way you ignored him when he came back. Can't be your conversation he's after."

Naruto took awhile answering, having noticed someone vaguely familiar at the other end of the bar. The person was looking at him. "Huh? No. I mean, what?"

"Why's he going out of his way to get in your face?"

"That's what I'd like to know!" Naruto said emphatically. He turned back to his bowl and ordered another helping. "He's made it clear how much he hates me _and_ this village, yet here he is."

"On probation."

"Still here."

"Not allowed to work or socialize, or do anything but selective manual labor."

"He's still _here_." Naruto tipped his empty bowl to his head, draining the last of the broth.

"Maybe he wants to be friends."

There was a pause, then they both broke out laughing. "Yeah, right," Naruto wheezed.

"Whatever. Just make sure you're at the west sector for second shift, or I'll send Akamaru after you."

Naruto waved him away, grinning as he turned to his third helping of ramen.

-oOo-

It was as he was paying his bill and standing to go that he nearly ran into the person from before. The one who'd been sitting at the bar and who'd looked vaguely familiar. "Oops," Naruto said as he bumped her. "Sorry…"

"That's quite all right, Naruto-kun." Smiling brown eyes looked up at him.

A confusing image of ice, blood, and Sasuke swirled in Naruto's mind, and he had a vision of a masked _nin_ throwing _senbon_ at him. "Do…I know you?" The woman smiled…but it wasn't a woman, Naruto suddenly remembered. "You're dead," he breathed. "I saw you die. We _buried_ you."

"Things aren't always as they seem. You were young, Naruto-kun. You saw a grave."

Naruto spluttered in shock as Haku turned and gracefully ducked beneath the awning. Completely forgetting that he was due in the west sector, he ran after him and caught up to him a few blocks away.

"What are you doing here," he demanded. "In Konoha. What do you want? Is Zabuza-?"

"He's dead."

Naruto noticed that Haku had that same air of unshakable calm and contentment he'd noticed years ago. Watching his face, he decided that the guy hadn't changed much in any other regard. Same kind of feminine garments, painted nails, and weird hairstyle. He found himself staring and hastily looked aside. "Didn't answer my question."

"Forgive me," Haku murmured. He tucked his hands further into his sleeves. "I spent some years recovering my health, but when the war started, I decided it was time to become useful again. I'm here to help."

"What…rebuild the village?"

"However I can."

"Sweet. We could use the extra hands."

Haku stopped and turned to Naruto with an oddly intent expression. "I'd especially like to help you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto was about to answer this, but was interrupted by someone stepping out of the shadows immediately to the right of the road. He caught sight of several guard ANBU in the distance and knew it was Sasuke before the individual was fully in view. Naruto's lip curled in disgust.

Sure enough, Sasuke's eyes zeroed in on him. Arms folded, he sauntered over, raking Haku from head to toe in one flat black glance. "Leave," Sasuke said.

Haku bowed and backed away, turning after a few steps to disappear back the way they'd come.

Naruto thought he'd have a stroke, so suddenly enraged was he. "What the _fuck_ is your problem," he screamed at the top of his lungs. "Just who the hell do you think you are, you can't talk to people like that! I am so _sick_ of this, and I'm sick of you! He-"

Sasuke walked off. Naruto saw the smirk on his proud lips and actually felt his heart stutter in his chest in preparation to a real heart attack. He was that mad. Without thinking, he cocked his fist and launched it at the back of Sasuke's head with all the strength in his body. It was a blow meant to kill, but an argument could be made for Naruto's wits being temporarily absent. Had Sasuke not sensed the attack and dodged at the last possible second, the ANBU agents who swiftly landed between him and Naruto would have blocked it. As it was, they wrestled a snarling, frothing Naruto away from Sasuke, who'd turned and was _still_ smirking, and urgently ordered him to calm down.

Naruto jerked himself free and stalked off.

Why was it that now that the war was over, and Sasuke was back, and he had all the recognition of the villagers that he could possibly want, life sucked with such stunning intensity?

Naruto thought about this as he smashed in a newly rebuilt wall on his way to the west sector.


	2. Chapter 2

Kiba made note of the ferocity with which Naruto applied himself to that day's construction duties and wisely opted for silence. Naruto worked side by side with him with such diligence, employing a wealth of clones to boot, that they were able to almost completely finish one entire apartment building on their own. By the time the whistle sounding the end of second shift blew, Naruto seemed to have calmed down somewhat.

He didn't need to ask who or what. As they were walking back to the barracks erected and inhabited by most of the rookie nine, all Kiba said was, "Want to talk about it?"

This might have struck Naruto as out of character prior to the war, but they'd all changed. Somewhere along the process of reconstruction he and Kiba had begun hanging out more and more, until it was unusual for one to be seen without the other. Occasionally, Naruto could be seen with Konohamaru and Inari, or sometimes Sakura and Sai, but most of the time it was Kiba. And Kiba was the only one he ever spoke to about anything of importance.

"Not really," Naruto mumbled in answer to Kiba's question.

Kiba waited.

"I mean he just comes out of _nowhere_ -" Naruto exploded a second later. He spoke in quick, short sentences.

Kiba listened with interest. "Weird. Just told him to leave? For no reason? And this Haku just went?"

"Yeah! Probably got his feelings hurt. He's…sensitive like that. Least I think so. I sort of remember him being…you know, weird like that."

"Sounds like Haku moved in on Sasuke's territory, and Sasuke took exception. Haku, realizing his error, submitted to the alpha and got out of there." Akamaru _woofed_ in agreement.

Naruto squinted at Kiba's profile in the dark. "You're insane, you know that? What the hell does all that mean?"

"Nothing. I'm starved."

-oOo-

Talking ended as they ducked into the barracks to find Chouji setting dinner on the long wooden table that ran the length of one wall. Beds lined the opposite wall.

Amidst the camaraderie of his friends, some of Naruto's black mood lifted. Especially when Konohamaru stopped by later with some surprising news.

"Granny said that since Sasuke doesn't use his bunk here, that he could stay with you guys. 'Specially since he requested it," he shrugged up at Naruto. 'He' was the person who'd come with Konohamaru, which just happened to be Haku.

Sakura had insisted on installing a bunk for Sasuke in a demonstration of forgiveness, but Sasuke, predictably, had opted to sleep in a safe house, where he was surrounded by ANBU and thus alienated from everyone. Naruto found himself grinning at the sight of Haku now, and stepping aside to allow him in. Konohamaru tossed a small satchel at Naruto. Under the guise of catching it, Naruto leaned down to hear the younger boy's whispered question. "We on for the waterfalls again tomorrow?"

Naruto looked around carefully. "No can do," he hissed back. "Granny's riding my ass over the last time as it is. We'll meet next week, when I can arrange it better."

Konohamaru nodded seriously. "I'll tell Inari." He straightened up and waved to the rest of the Chuunin. "Later, guys!"

Naruto turned and found Haku waiting an arm's length away, looking at him. Abruptly he remembered the scene from earlier and hastened to smooth things over. "Look, about today…"

"No need to explain. Apparently, I was intruding."

" _No_ ," Naruto said heatedly. "You weren't. Sasuke was just being an ass." He stopped there, staring at the shorter man with a frown.

Haku looked back at the vibrant blue eyes and felt himself beginning to blush beneath the stare. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh? No." Naruto blinked. "Just hit me that you're really _here_. Alive. I mean…how'd you survive? Even Kakashi-sensei said you were dead."

"Ah. Well," Haku said as he carefully took his satchel from Naruto. "That's a long story. I'd be happy to tell it…?" His eyes moved to the barracks door and back to Naruto's face.

Catching on, Naruto nodded and led the way. They passed the one bunk not in use on the way, where Haku set his satchel.

Kiba watched them leave with a frown of thought on his face.  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Outside, they found the village settling in for the night. The road was deserted and dappled in moonlight as they began walking.

"So when that snow started falling, when I thought you were dead, that was you telling everyone that you were still alive?" Naruto said after Haku had spoken for some time.

"Not consciously, but yes."

"So weird. And you only arrived in the village this morning?"

"Yes. The family I've been staying with, the ones who healed me, they're here too. They had no place else to go, and we've become close over the years."

"I see." Naruto shoved his hands into his pockets, studiously ignoring the itch between his shoulder blades. Glancing left and right, he caught the barest glimpse of ANBU on shadowy rooftops. _Fucking stalker_. "That thing you said earlier," he said, changing the subject with an effort. "About coming here to help me? What'd you mean by that."

Haku smiled in the dark. "Just that I'm proud to see you've begun reaching your goals. I'd like to help you achieve them in anyway I can." At Naruto's puzzled frown, he tried to elaborate. "I didn't have much of a life outside of Zabuza. And that life is over. I hurt a lot of people in that life. Besides Zabuza, you're the only good thing I can remember from before, and I hurt you too. You, at least, I can make amends to. If you'll let me."

By now they'd stopped walking and were facing each other beneath the shady reach of a lotus tree. Naruto was hunched and frowning, concentrating on Haku's words. He wasn't entirely unaware now of the shadow drawing nearer to where they stood, but for once his mind had something else to occupy it.

"I remember our fight," Naruto said in a low voice. "I remember you asking me to kill you. Actually…I'm starting to remember a _lot_ of things." He continued to stare intently at Haku.

 _He's changed_ , Haku thought. Very little of the wild, undisciplined boy remained in the tall, frowning youth before him. He sensed a lot of frustration and power in Naruto, and no small amount of anger, but this wasn't the source of the change. Seeing the way Naruto's eyes bored into him, Haku had the impression that the dreams and hopes he'd once had were somehow tarnished. As if Naruto had suffered a lot of disappointment in the years since he'd seen him last. As if he was now aware of how often life defaulted on promises. "I should never have asked that of you," he said. He lowered his head in shame.

Like Naruto, he ignored the presence closing in on them, but he was very aware of it. The encounter earlier today had confused him. He wondered what would happen this time.

Naruto studied the bowed head. He distinctly recalled how upsetting it had been to watch Haku die after learning what an essentially gentle soul he was. Taking in the skirt and delicately styled hair, he was helpless not to think that someone as good and kind as Haku didn't belong in such a harsh world.

Then he turned, and was in time to meet Sasuke's stare as he dropped down from the rooftop behind them and straightened up. Naruto worked to keep his face bland and neutral as Sasuke took a measured step closer to him. The urge to punch that pale face was overwhelming. _I'm not going to let him provoke me again_. He folded his arms for good measure.

Nothing was said this time. Sasuke glanced at Haku over Naruto's shoulder, but showed no recognition of him. He seemed more interested in Naruto and his stance, looking him over carefully.

Patience utterly gone, Naruto snapped, "What do you want?"

"Nothing you have," Sasuke mocked.

"Great. Maybe you can stop following me around, then. And while you're at it, get lost." He turned around. Haku walked silently at his side as they began heading back to the barracks.

Sasuke's voice floated to them in the dark. "Surprising that you managed to land a girlfriend."

It was such an un-Sasuke-like comment, such a frivolous and petty comment, that Naruto turned in shock despite his firm intention to ignore Sasuke completely from now on no matter what. " _Girlfriend?_ " Then he understood who Sasuke meant. He almost corrected him then and there, but it suddenly occurred to him that Sasuke might never have seen Haku's face. He wracked his brains trying to remember. While he was doing this, Haku stepped forward and spoke.

"I'd like to apologize to you as well, Sasuke-kun, for the things I did to you during our fight on the bridge." He gave a small bow. "I hope you can forgive me."

Sasuke's face remained aloof for all of three seconds…then identification set in. His eyes widened as they swept over Haku's slight form in sharp scrutiny; this was someone who'd soundly beaten him. If he remembered nothing else, he remembered _that_. The little smirk he'd been wearing dropped away entirely. His eyes moved back and forth between Haku and Naruto, and narrowed to slits when Naruto put a hand on Haku's arm to steer him away.

"Forget him," Naruto said when they were a hundred yards down the road. "He's nobody."

Haku recalled Naruto's reaction to Sasuke's death on the bridge. "Seems to me like he used to be an important friend once."

Naruto glanced back at where Sasuke was frowning at them. "Once," he admitted as he turned around again. "Back when I was too stupid to see what was in front of my face."  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next day proved to be fun. Naruto reported for duty on time, with Haku in tow, and had a grand time finishing off the apartment building with Kiba, Haku, and his clones. They were able to lay the foundation for yet another building before the whistle blew for lunch. Akamaru seemed to really take to Haku, which Naruto had a ball teasing Kiba about. Kiba opted for revenge in the form of hopping onto Akamaru's back and chasing Naruto all the way to Ichiraku's. Haku surprised Kiba and his dog both by enveloping them in a sudden snowball the size of a house. The three of them arrived at the restaurant out of breath, rosy-cheeked, and damn near hysterical with laughter. At least Kiba and Naruto did; Haku was merely chuckling softly and brushing snow from his hair.

During lunch, as Naruto consumed one bowl of ramen after another, Kiba took the opportunity to sneak peeks at him and Haku both. Naruto looked like his old self almost. Laughing every few minutes at something Haku said, or else listening intently, eyes shining.

Haku was another matter. His eyes never left Naruto's animated face. He seemed happy enough, and eager to converse with Naruto, but his voice never rose above its low register. Sniffing discreetly, Kiba got a read on him. On the surface, Haku smelled like any healthy male did. Beneath that, Kiba detected only honesty and contentment. Peace. It had the strange effect of settling a feeling calm over his own mind, that smell. He sniffed again, and detected an even fainter impression of steely strength and a certain…fearlessness. Confidence. He liked that.

Deciding that Naruto was safe with this guy, Kiba stood and told them he'd meet them at the construction site at the start of second shift.

Haku watched him leave. "I hope it wasn't something I said? Perhaps I should have made an effort to include him in the conversation more…"

Naruto looked up with noodles hanging out of his mouth. He glanced back and forth between Haku's worried frown and where Kiba was hopping onto Akamaru. "Nah. Kiba's cool." He swallowed messily. "Hey, want to-"

Sasuke aggressively walked into Ichiraku's, swiveling his head as if looking for someone.

"-get out of here?" Naruto quickly amended. He threw a few bills down on the counter and tried to leave under the cover of his raised jacket collar. Sasuke smoothly stepped in front of him.

"I want to talk to you," Sasuke said tightly.

Forced to emerge from his collar and look at him, Naruto noticed that the black eyes were trained on where Haku was climbing off his stool. "What."

Sasuke's eyes snapped back to him. "Alone."

"About what?"

" _Alone_."

Naruto searched Sasuke's face for any sign of a salvageable human being. A conscience. Remorse. Something. Anything. He found a bunch of things he couldn't interpret, which he consequently categorized as contempt and hatred, and tightened his jaw. "Unless what you have to say involves a massive apology or an explanation, I got nothing to say to you. Does it?" Hope bloomed in his chest despite his stern warnings to himself not to allow the emotion. After all, Sasuke had to be chasing him for _some_ reason.

Sasuke remained silent, and the hope withered in defeat once again.

Naruto shoved past Sasuke so violently that the latter's eyes went defensively red. Haku calmly stepped to Naruto's side with his own chakra oppressing the atmosphere, and that had Mangekyo whirling into place. Naruto, oblivious, continued walking until he was outside.

There were a few seconds of Haku meeting Sasuke's stare head on, unflinchingly, before Naruto realized he was alone and ducked his head back inside. "You coming?" he hollered impatiently at Haku.

Haku blinked, bowed to the old man who, along with all his patrons, was watching the exchange with bated breath, and left the restaurant.

Everyone in the place overheard Naruto telling him what a consummate dickwad Sasuke was. Haku's murmured reply was unintelligible.

Aware of the stares that flew his way after this comment, Sasuke's fist slowly curled in rage.


	3. Chapter 3

For a few minutes Sasuke just stood in the restaurant, feeling the stares crawl over him like so many insects. Resisting the urge to shift in discomfort, or in anyway acknowledge a reaction to Naruto's words, he turned and ducked out of the establishment. His ANBU escort, two of which had come inside with him, took up their positions.

Far down the block he could make out a head of bright blond hair bobbing next to the cloth-covered bun Haku wore. He stared, squinting in the glaring sunlight to keep them in sight, as he calculated a few scenarios.

"I want to see Tsunade," he said.

There was a slight hesitation as he sensed his escorts deciding which of them should answer. A wolf-masked one, whom Sasuke considered the leader of his detail, stepped closer to him. "Pardon?"

Sasuke turned his head to stare into the wolf mask's eyeholes. "I want an audience with Tsunade. Now."

"Hokage-sama."

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke fought the impulse to address the rebuke. "Yes. I need to speak with the Hokage."

A nod, as Wolf gestured to one of the escorts. That one disappeared, presumably to arrange the meeting. Sasuke watched him leave.

"I believe it is time for duties," Wolf murmured after a discreet clearing of his throat.

Without a word, Sasuke turned and made his way north, toward the stone yard.

-oOo-

The stone yard was a great big pit located some distance behind the Hokage monument. It was full of stone and masonry quarried from Kumogakure and sent as the Raikage's contribution toward the rebuilding of Konoha. The stones in the stone yard, frequently the size of boulders and huge monoliths, were broken and shaped in preparation for use in construction.

It was back-breaking work given only to prisoners, or people on probation such as himself; Tsunade reasoned that no pair of hands should sit idle.

Sasuke hated it.

It was demeaning, and meant to be so. Besides which, a low cloud of dust always hung a few feet above the stone yard, a result of the rocks being broken and crushed all day. This dust invariably had one coughing, or stuck to one's sweat, thereby enhancing their misery. The use of chakra was forbidden, naturally, but Sasuke found that this was no great hindrance to him. He was sufficiently filled with rage that the strength he put behind his swinging sledgehammer was unequaled by any of the stone yard's other occupants.

 _Naruto_ , he thought as he made the first swing of second shift.

Of all the possible ways he'd imagined his return to the village would be received, being rejected by Naruto had not been one of them. Naruto was the one place he'd expected a welcome- not that he needed or wanted any such welcome, of course. Instead, he was received, more or less, by everyone _except_ Naruto.

 _Apologize_ , Sasuke thought wrathfully on another swing. _Explain_. He'd do neither thing. He wasn't sorry for his actions, and there was no way he could explain his reasons for coming back and expect to _remain_ back.

Well, maybe _one_ reason could be explained.

The fact that though he wanted to honor his brother's wishes regarding the village, it was impossible for him. Itachi believed in Naruto, though, and as a partial concession to his brother's wishes he'd decided to try and make a connection with his former teammate. Fix what was broken, if possible. That was before he'd been confronted with Naruto's hatred.

His hammer whistled through the air, reducing rocks to rubble, as he admitted that getting to Naruto was proving to be too much for him.

He didn't know how to go about repairing the damage between them…probably because there had never really _been_ anything between them to begin with. Not as far as he was concerned. Still, he tried. Sort of. He realized his attempts were being interpreted as stalking. That was true enough, he supposed. He _was_ deliberately pissing Naruto off, and he had no idea how one went about making friends. The thought alone left him shuddering in disgust. And yet he was determined to carry out this least of Itachi's wishes, even if it killed him. He could do that much for his brother.

If the truth were known, he'd probably stand a better chance of reaching Naruto if he simply walked up to him and stated his intentions, but he didn't quite have it in him to be so open. He'd stick to what he was doing: it was part retaliation for the way Naruto had chased him for so long, part angry response to Naruto's rejection (a big part), and part boredom. Besides, pissing Naruto off was the only upside to being back in Konoha.

 _He can forgive someone who tried to kill us, but not me_.

That stray thought had his hammer cracking a boulder neatly in two.

Remembering the way Haku had actually had the nerve to threaten him, Sasuke paused, leaning on the haft of his sledgehammer. He wanted Haku gone. Haku kept Naruto's attention elsewhere, when he needed it focused on him if he was to make this damned connection work. Besides, Haku was dangerous. Although, if he remembered correctly, Naruto had said something about Haku not really wanting to kill them. Well, fuck it. As far as he was concerned, Haku was foreign and an unknown. _And I don't need forgiveness_. He resumed the onerous chore of breaking rocks. _If he can befriend some asshole he thought was dead, he can fucking well give me a shot_.

As always, thinking of Naruto devolved into confusion. He'd never felt confused about anything before. He might have been misinformed on a few occasions, but he'd never been confused as he was now. Since his brother had died, both times, nothing made sense anymore. Nothing.

Blinking sweat out of his eyes, Sasuke swung his sledgehammer harder.  
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ino had the bunk next to the empty one, the one Haku would be using. All Naruto had to do to get her to agree to switch with him was pout and say pretty please. After dinner, he and Haku lay on their sides and whispered back and forth while the other occupants of the barracks either read or settled down in their own bunks.

"Sasuke seems to appear frequently?" Haku ventured at length.

Naruto snorted. "Stalking me. Hate him."

"Why?"

"Why do I hate Sasuke?"

Haku nodded.

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know."

"How can you not know?" Haku frowned. "Hatred is a powerful emotion. People don't feel things like that without knowing why."

"I guess I don't _really_ hate him," Naruto mumbled. "I just…hate everything about him."

They'd spoken of the events following their fight on the bridge at length today, while working with Kiba. "You told me several times how Sasuke never intended to come back to the village," Haku said now. "Why do you suppose he changed his mind?"

"No idea."

"Do you think it has something to do with you?"

"Want to come with me somewhere next week?" Naruto interjected. "Meant to ask you before, but we were interrupted."

Haku considered the way the subject had deliberately been changed. "Of course," he said. He gave a small smile in answer to Naruto's grin, and wondered just how sincere Naruto's smiles were these days.  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

During the next three days, Naruto didn't run into Sasuke once. The first Sasuke-free day had felt strange to him, as if he were off balance. His eyes kept skipping here and there, distracting him from work, until Kiba finally gripped him by one shoulder on the third day and forced eye contact.

"Dude?" Kiba said in a tone of unnatural calm. "Stop looking for him and keep your mind on work."

"Him? Looking for who?" Naruto spluttered in indignation. "I'm not looking for his ass."

Kiba's knowing bland stare said otherwise. "Whatever. But that's the third time you nearly cemented the wood supply."

Naruto's eyes moved back and forth between Kiba's carefully neutral expression and Haku's tactfully averted one. He looked around and realized he had absolutely no memory of doing a single thing on the site this morning. Or any other morning during the past three days. Ditto the afternoons. The only thing that had stuck out for him was the fact that Sasuke hadn't bugged him. "Fuck," he swore. "Fuck!" He slung his hammer aside and stormed off.

"Hey!" Kiba shouted. "We still got work to do!"

Naruto sent a burst of chakra to his feet and leaped completely over a four-story building in progress to land on a taller one beyond. He crouched in his landing a moment, then leapt again, disappearing out of sight.

-oOo-

The areas inside and outside the re-emerging village were crowded with citizens of Konoha and her allies, all looking to build her better and stronger than before, but to the enterprising individual, a quiet corner or two could be found. If they really looked. Naruto found a grassy knoll just beyond the training grounds and flung himself onto it. Not much training went on during reconstruction, at least not here. Teachers elected to use reconstruction itself as training, educating their students on ways to hone chakra and stamina through building. For now, the training grounds only held extra lumber and other building supplies. No one saw him.

He remained there for the rest of the day, mulishly staring up at the sky until his eyes watered and he finally closed them. Once, he lifted his heel and slammed it into the grassy hill beneath him, but that was his only display of temper. He let the sun bake him to a crisp, feeling his skin tingle as it burned, then slowly restore itself as the sun descended across the other side of the sky. Evening set in with a host of hunger pains, but he didn't budge. When a cool breeze sprang up he opened his eyes and found the first few stars winking into visibility in the twilit sky.

He was sure Kiba could have sniffed out his location easily, just as he was sure that his friend had deliberately chosen not to. He was grateful for that.

And when a light step sounded near his ear well after the sun had set, he didn't need the faint swish of skirts to tell him it was Haku. He caught a whiff of ramen, and that suddenly he succumbed to what he'd resisted doing for hours.

-oOo-

Haku watched Naruto turn his head aside in an effort to hide his tears, aching with the need to ease his pain. Eventually, when it became clear that his composure wouldn't be recovered quickly, Naruto turned completely on his side, giving Haku his back. Swallowing hard, Haku sat down, right on the spot Naruto's back had lain, where the grass was still warm from his body. He arranged his skirts to his satisfaction, hugged his knees, and attempted to pretend he couldn't hear the hitched and choked off breathing immediately to his left.

It was so hard to know Naruto, Haku mused as he gazed at the sky. For all that he was so outgoing, and so incredibly social, Naruto played his true emotions very close to his heart. Strange. Naruto was one of those rare individuals who appeared to be exactly what you saw on the surface, but who contained a multitude of contradictory layers and depths. The way Naruto consistently reached into those depths whenever he chose to throw unexpected comments and reactions at people –without knowing his own complexities- never ceased to amaze Haku. He would bet money that Naruto had no clue as to how complicated his own nature was.

For instance, he would not have thought Naruto to be the type to react so strongly to a few days without Sasuke's negative presence. Peeking at the blond hair, Haku privately thought that whatever thing was between Naruto and Sasuke was dark and decidedly unhealthy. For both of them. He could all but feel the strength of it whenever the two were together, but he'd rarely, if ever, felt anything so toxic. He just wished he knew what it was. He wanted to help Naruto, and be there for him in whatever way he could be. And so, he waited.

-oOo-

Naruto wondered why he felt so miserable. _I mean I know what I'm upset over, I just don't get_ why _I'm so pissed over it_. And it was nothing he especially cared to look at too closely anyway.

"I've changed my mind," he whispered without turning around.

Haku's voice was mild. "Oh? About what?"

"About Sasuke. I _do_ hate that bastard. I do. And I know why I do, too." That part, at least, had finally come to him, if not a true understanding of everything else.

Haku said nothing, and his silence was soothing. It allowed Naruto to voice his true shame.

"I hate him because every bad thing I ever feel is because of him. Nearly everything. And because I couldn't save him. _Didn't_ save him. I tried so hard… _so hard_. He was my goal. I felt like…if I could save him…if I could do the impossible and actually _save_ him…then I'd have a real shot at being Hokage. And that's my ultimate goal. But I sort of needed to do the one in order to achieve the other, you know? To prove to myself that I'm strong enough to be Hokage. I mean, I know it's not all about the jutsu and the physical strength…it's about the other strengths. The strength it takes to change your friend's mind, to make him change his path. It's about changing others and leading them. Making them want to follow you. I tried so hard to live up to that with Sasuke and I failed. He came back on his own, worse than before, and I feel like…I don't know. Like he took something from me. Like after all that shit I went through, he just wouldn't budge. But he's here anyway, so everything I did was for nothing. He cheated me.

"And I feel like shit because I _did_ accomplish a lot. I have respect and acknowledgement. I have strength. I met my parents…I finally know who I am in the world and so does everyone else…but the one thing- the one thing!- I want more than anything else, I just can't seem to get, and that makes me feel like a selfish fuck. And here he is, throwing it in my face day in and day out, how much I suck because he's not here as a result of me saving him. I wasn't the one to bring him back. And now…now I don't event rate stalking, so I guess I'm completely forgotten. _And_ ," Naruto finished as he turned violently onto his back, bumping Haku, "I fucking _hate_ feeling _sorry_ for myself!" He lay fuming up at the sky, nostrils flared.

Haku looked down at him and saw the blue eyes slide sideways to meet his own, skip away, then slide back. Here was another surprise: he would have thought Naruto would be happy to have Sasuke back no matter the manner of his return. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Naruto sat up in surprise. "Huh? For what?"

"For sharing those thoughts with me. For trusting me with your confidence."

"Oh." Naruto sat blinking at him for a while.

It occurred to him that during those three days, Haku hadn't left his side. He had dim memories of Haku talking to him, and him ignoring Haku or making some reply he couldn't recall. Haku was a good friend, had come to the village for _him_ , and he'd treated him like shit the past few days. And for what? Because Sasuke had finally done what he'd been telling him to do and left him alone? What kind of bullshit was that?

An uncomfortable feeling of remorse swamped Naruto. He stared hard at Haku, wondering if he should apologize, before dropping his eyes self-consciously. In retrospect he felt more than a little embarrassed over the things he'd confessed in light of his treatment of Haku. But Haku didn't seem disapproving, he noticed when he peeked at him again. The guy had actually thanked him for unloading all that crap. "I think you're the best friend I've ever had," Naruto told him quietly.

Haku inclined his head in thanks. He set the ramen take-out container in front of Naruto with a small smile. "You missed lunch and dinner."

For a while Naruto ate and Haku watched him eat. When the container had been drained, they sat in companionable silence, looking up at the stars.

Eventually Naruto whispered, "Most of all I hate myself for thinking about him all the damn time. Like, fuck, why can't I just ignore him the way he always ignores me?"

"He doesn't _seem_ to ignore you..."

"Well he is now! And I'm _done_ with him. Completely finished," Naruto said emphatically. He turned with a bright and forced smile to Haku. "I've got real friends to think about. Like you. I've been shitty to you these three days, haven't I."

"No, of course not-" Haku protested

"Yes, I have. And I'm sorry. It won't happen again. Come on, let me make it up to you."

So saying, Naruto dragged Haku up by the hand and tugged him along, heading for the barracks. Haku did eventually let his protests die out as he began a halting recount of the past three days. Naruto soon realized that he'd missed this. Missed them talking and engaging one another. Haku became more animated the longer he spoke, telling how upset Kiba had been when Naruto had left the site earlier today.

"You're lucky he won't report you," Haku finished as they drew up to the barracks.

Naruto waved this aside. "I know Kiba. He won't rat me out. And I'll make it up to him too, you'll see." He pushed the barracks door open and held it for Haku, who murmured his thanks as he entered.  
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The entire one room structure was as still as stone. Naruto and Haku saw the reason for this immediately: Sasuke stood next to Haku's bunk, arms crossed, and with three ANBU agents lined up behind him. Looking across the room, Naruto saw all his friends lined up as well, facing Sasuke, arms also crossed, as they glared at him. The tension was thick enough to cut, and the silence was deafening.

Kiba eased over to Naruto. "Says he's going to be sleeping here from now on," he said with a grimace. "And working with us. With me, you, and Haku. In the west sector."

Naruto finally dragged his eyes away from where Sasuke was staring at him to pin Kiba with a frown. " _What?_ "

But here Sasuke walked over and placed himself directly in front of Naruto, actually nudging Kiba aside in the process. He lazily uncrossed one arm to reveal a scroll he was holding, and held it up to Naruto's face. "Hokage's orders."

Naruto snatched the scroll and read it. Apparently Sasuke had been re-assigned, he saw. His mornings would now be spent in the west sector on Kiba's small crew, while his afternoons would be spent in the stone yard. And he could sleep in the barracks, in his assigned bunk. Naruto looked up slowly, letting the scroll snap closed. "Over my dead body," he breathed.

Sasuke smirked. "It's a done deal, not up for your approval. And since I'm to be sleeping in my bunk, whoever's using it now needs to go." His eyes slid to Haku and his smirk deepened.

Haku started to turn away, possibly to clear the bunk of his things, but Naruto halted him with a hand on his arm. "Ino!"

Ino jumped where she stood. "Yes?"

"I want my old bunk back."

"But-"

"I'm serious."

Ino closed her mouth.

Naruto looked Sasuke up and down with glacial disdain, as if what he was seeing was less than nothing, then spent a few seconds meeting the black stare. "I hope you fucking die," he said succinctly. "You hear me? I hope you drop the fuck dead. Beyond that, I straight don't give a shit where you sleep or work. You're already dead to me."

He moved around Sasuke. His friends all watched with wide eyes as Sasuke made as if to stop him, only to be frozen with an icy blue stare. Beneath the weight of that stare, Sasuke held his ground, stiffening with anger. Naruto turned his back on him.

Kiba had already set extra blankets next to Naruto's old bunk, the blond saw. Haku set his things down near this and began arranging a pallet. The rest of the barracks finally began moving, and settled down to sleep.

-oOo-

Sasuke glared at where Ino shot him apprehensive looks from the bunk next to his, then stared across the row of beds to where he could see Naruto staring up at the ceiling. After a moment, he adopted the same position. His escort took up positions in his general vicinity.

Naruto's words replayed themselves in his mind. _You're going to regret saying that, motherfucker_.

He'd never been so humiliated in his life.


	4. Chapter 4

Akamaru did his fair share in the west sector. Sometimes he hauled lumber on a sort of travois Kiba fashioned, or sometimes he helped dig holes for foundations. Right now, he looked toward where three heads were studiously bent over the cement vat and gave a small whine.

"I know," Kiba said. He took a moment to scratch behind the big mutt's ears as he, too, looked at the rest of his crew.

Haku, Naruto, and Sasuke were each stirring the cement with shovels. On the surface, the three of them appeared to be calm and focused on their work. But Kiba knew better.

He'd been observing them for two days now and, quite frankly, was almost at his wit's end.

First there was Naruto. Naruto went out of his way to ignore Sasuke with a thoroughness that would have impressed Kiba if it weren't for the fact that his actions affected the job. Honestly, if Sasuke was ready and able to hold the lumber while it was nailed in place, couldn't Naruto see that waiting an extra ninety minutes for Haku to finish laying sewer pipes so that _he_ could hold the lumber instead only set them behind schedule? Or how about the refusal to even let his clones work with Sasuke? And if, God forbid, Sasuke ever chose to hand something to Naruto, like a brick or a nail, then it would remain in Sasuke's outstretched hand until the item was thrown with force at Naruto's face, or else taken by Haku, who strove to keep conflict to a minimum.

Which brought him to Haku. At first it seemed that Haku was trying too hard to be the silent mediator between Sasuke and Naruto, but that was only the first day. By the second day, Kiba realized that Haku wasn't worried about Sasuke at all; he was all about keeping Naruto's excitable feathers smooth and happy. Kiba watched this with pure wonder. He'd never really paid much attention to other people's relationships, other than to swipe an irritable hand under his nose if someone was giving off too much pheromones, but this…it was like watching a dance or some other kind of meticulous performance.

He could almost see the individual steps. The way it went from a need to calm Naruto down, to a desire for more. Subtle. Understated. But definitely there. The looks. The touches. The way Haku became more subdued the more his desire apparently grew. It was almost funny, because Kiba could tell that as quickly as it had developed -and it had happened in a matter of days- Naruto seemed to have no clue. Though he _was_ paying a ridiculous amount of attention to Haku, it had more to do with ignoring Sasuke than picking up what Haku was laying down.

And as for Sasuke. Kiba had to give him props: Naruto was being a bitch and Sasuke was taking it like a pro. Kiba would have sworn that Sasuke had engineered his assignment in the west sector for the sole purpose of raising nine kinds of hell, but he worked quietly and diligently. The only time his cool slipped was when Naruto pushed him too far and he threw something at him. But these were minor displays at worst.

That wasn't to say he ignored Naruto in turn. Lord, but if Naruto's head could go up in flames, then it would have exploded already from the looks Sasuke leveled at him when ole blue eyes wasn't looking. He was clearly jealous of the attention Haku was receiving, but whenever Sasuke did manage to win a snapped retort from Naruto, he was antagonistic in response. As if he didn't want Naruto speaking to him anyway. What was up with that?

And there they all stood, supposedly stirring the cement, when it was clear that Naruto and Sasuke were having some kind of battle with their shovels, and Haku was trying to talk Naruto down and thus distract him.

Resigned to breaking up another altercation, Kiba shook his head.  
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Haku breathed a sigh of relief once Kiba came over and asked Sasuke to help him with some measurements. Naruto conjured a clone to take over Sasuke's shovel. Watching the dark looks Sasuke threw over his shoulder at Naruto, Haku knew a twinge of guilt for being happy at having Naruto to himself. It was quickly gone, though, as he resumed stirring.

It wasn't that he didn't like Sasuke. He just didn't like what Sasuke brought out in Naruto. No one so bright and full of promise should have to be inundated with so much negativity from one person. He understood that Sasuke had gone through a lot, but much of that seemed to be Sasuke's own fault, Haku reasoned. And Naruto had been through hell as well. He deserved some happiness. To be at peace. To be left alone by people who wanted to drag him down.

And all right, he had a completely selfish reason for being happy to see Sasuke go. It meant Naruto could divert the energy he spent ignoring Sasuke to him instead.

Haku lowered his head, hiding his red face. Those kinds of thoughts shamed him unbearably. As did his budding attraction. He didn't think it was appropriate to profess the desire to help someone, only to end up feeling other desires for them as well, but he honestly couldn't help it. Though three years younger, Naruto came off as older through dint of his staggering testosterone levels and overt masculinity. These were two things Haku knew he lacked, and it had gotten him in trouble before; he'd fallen under Zabuza's spell much the same way, and into his bed. Granted, he'd been much younger and naïve back then, and looking for love from any quarter. Still, Naruto evoked the same emotions. Admiration, a need to please, and a delicious sensation of helplessness, which was nothing more than a reaction to Naruto's towering aggression. Haku was far from weak _or_ helpless, and well he knew it, but he enjoyed feeling that way whenever Naruto slanted those blue eyes in his direction.

God, sometimes it was all he could do to breathe when Naruto looked at him.

 _That_ was something new. Zabuza had never made him feel so undone with a glance, or so near to melting whenever their hands accidentally brushed together. Then again, Zabuza had been the one to do the pursuing. He'd been swept up by the older and vastly more sexually experienced Jounin, and Haku's feelings, both sexual and emotional, had really only developed after.

-oOo-

"I need a break," Naruto muttered once they'd poured the cement.

By which he meant he needed a respite from having to endure Sasuke, not a break from physical labor. Naruto could work for days at a time with his stamina, a fact that left Haku in a sweat whenever he chose to think on it.

"It's almost noon," he answered. "Maybe we could have lunch someplace other than Ichiraku's. Someplace…private?" He nearly winced, thinking his feelings must surely be obvious with that suggestion, but Naruto only grinned.

"Sounds like a plan. And when we get back, that jackass will be at the stone yard, so…yeah. Perfect. Whaddya feel like having?" Naruto looked at him, brows raised.

Haku struggled not to color up at the stare. "I don't particularly care. What do _you_ feel like eating?"

Naruto looked aside, scratching his head. "Meh…Chouji fixes lunch at the barracks for anyone who cares to stop in and eat there during break. Mainly people who have enough time to nap between shifts. We could see what he's whipped up?"

"Yes. And, if you don't mind, maybe we could eat at the training grounds? Like before?"

Naruto's frown quickly smoothed out. "Right on! We could make _sure_ no one bugs us."

Haku deliberately held Naruto's winning smile with a direct look of his own, managing to hold a shy smile in place into the bargain. Naruto's smile deepened. Haku sensed that Naruto was really seeing him. Not just paying him extra attention in an effort to ignore Sasuke, but _really_ seeing him, and that had his smile faltering as a burst of heat shot through him. It warmed his cheeks, made his eyes glassy, and shortened his breath until he was forced to lower his gaze; his heart was pounding hard enough to shake his entire body.

When he peeked upward, it was to find Naruto's eyes still on his face, but the bright smile dimmed to something that was bearable. He swallowed, looked away. Looked back. Dropped his eyes again. Glanced back, and Naruto was still staring at him.

 _Feels like I'm dying all over again_ , Haku thought in distress. _Those eyes! How could anyone have such blue eyes?_

Finally, the whistle blew for end of shift and Haku turned away in self-preservation. He began walking, pushing his trembling hands into his wide sleeves, until he heard Naruto slowly following him.

-oOo-

It was a somber walk to the barracks. Naruto was unnaturally silent, not looking at him now, and Haku felt too shaken to make conversation. Sometimes their elbows brushed together, or their hips bumped each other. Quite a few of those were due to him purposely walking too close to Naruto, but Naruto didn't move away. The little jolts of electricity-like feeling Haku got whenever it happened kept his muscles locked and rigid.

And then, while they were climbing through a crevice in the road, he nearly slipped as a result of his distraction. Naruto was forced to grab him and steady him, as if he weren't a fully qualified Jounin and former hunter-nin. Naruto yanked a bit too hard, making their bodies collide briefly, and Haku thought he would fall apart right then and there.

Naruto didn't let go right away. "You okay, man? Nearly broke your neck just now."

"Fine," he murmured, acutely embarrassed. "Thank you." Now he was consciously holding on to Naruto.

He was sorry when Naruto's hand dropped away to be shoved into a pocket.

Once they'd collected their lunch and made it to the training grounds, it was all he could do to sit and eat. He felt oppressed by his feelings, the strength of them, and the fact that Naruto was staring at him. Again.  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Naruto ate slowly.

He'd be the first admit that he wasn't exactly the brightest bulb in the box, but neither was he a complete dunce. Not anymore. Like, he could tell something was up with Haku, he just wasn't quite sure what that was. Maybe he'd know if he hadn't only noticed Haku about forty minutes ago. Like, really noticed him. Up until just before the whistle blew today, his mind had been firmly stuck on Sasuke, as usual.

The day after Sasuke's bombshell, he'd woken up with a rock-solid determination to go about his business as if the fucker didn't exist. And he'd been successful. More or less. Sort of.

Okay, so maybe he _had_ been more aware of him than ever before, but goddammit, the jerk was _working_ with them now. That was a far cry from stalking. Now Naruto got to see everything he was supposedly trying to ignore and, to be perfectly honest, Sasuke was hard not to look at.

It was like it wasn't even _Sasuke_. That biggish dude with the pecs, and the abs, and the arms (Sasuke kept leaving that white shirt hanging around his waist), that wasn't the boy he'd been chasing. It was some creep with eternally sweaty hair and a tan (shit, maybe _he_ should work at the stone yard if it made you look like that) that kept staring at him as if he'd fucked his mother. And he kept getting in Naruto's face, insisting on being helpful, handing him shit, asking him how long this plank was supposed to be, or how deep that hole, or how high this wall.

But Naruto handled his business and paid him no mind. He was proud of that feat. The times Sasuke had lost his patience and thrown things at him had been touch and go; he'd been seconds from going Kyuubi on ole creepy tanned buff-bod Sasuke. Yes he had, and what a relief _that_ would have been. The area between his shoulder blades was perpetually tight from having to work with Sasuke, and any release of that tension would have been well-worth the shit-storm of Granny's wrath that would have followed.

He'd already tried asking her to re-assign the asshole. "Sasuke is serving his probation admirably," she'd intoned. "If he wants to be of more use while doing so, I won't be the one to refuse him. And let me make it very clear," she'd gone on, correctly reading the darkening hue of his eyes, "that despite Sasuke's past actions, he is a valued member of this village. Quite as valued as you are. You're each one of the last surviving members of illustrious clans. It would be far more becoming if you could set aside your differences and get along."

Whatever. _I'll do me, and Sasuke can go do Akamaru_ , he'd thought as he'd left for second shift. That had been the first day.

Shit had just gotten worse from there, but he'd kept it together.

Haku, man. Haku was a godsend. If Haku hadn't shown up in the village, Naruto wouldn't have had anything to take his mind off Sasuke. Nothing else to focus on at the site. Haku was the perfect distraction. He had interesting things to say and even better, seemed just as keen to ignore Sasuke. Naruto threw himself into paying Haku all the attention he was sure Sasuke wanted, and it plain felt good to know he was pissing that bastard off.

But today. He couldn't even remember what they were talking about, but he'd been looking at Haku and the sun had been directly on the shorter guy's face. And for some reason Haku had seemed really…good-looking. No, that wasn't it. Naruto associated the term good-looking with guys. Kiba was good-looking. Haku had been…pretty?

He'd been something, that was for damn sure. The thought had been so off the wall that he'd stared, trying to figure out Haku's face of a sudden. Those deep brown eyes had been trained on his own face. Haku had been smiling too, and it was such a …well, such a girly kind of smile. The way girls smiled at boys. Then he'd seen the way the sun picked out faint golden flecks in Haku's eyes, seen the eyes drop, the face turn red, and it had seemed like all of a sudden that he'd noticed how long and soft Haku's hair was. The way it tossed against his pink cheek in the wind. How long his dark lashes seemed to be as those brown eyes, glassy and shiny, peeked up at him.

Haku had been trembling.

And Naruto had felt…something. He didn't quite know what it was, but it was the way he used to feel around girls. Awkward, overly-warm, and very aware of the fact that he was a boy. The exception this time was that instead of some girl making him feel like less than dirt, Haku's odd behavior and stolen glances made him feel…well, like he did whenever he was lit up with Kyuubi. Powerful. Like a boy to the nth power.

A man.

_What?_

Yeah. He had no idea what that was about. He'd certainly never felt like a full on man before, but the whistle had blown and he'd broken from whatever paralysis he'd been in.

But then when Haku had gone falling over the breeze or whatever, and he'd grabbed him, it had been like touching a girl too. The way he felt whenever he'd had to partner Sakura in some jutsu, or some other girl when on a mission. Like he _was_ a boy, something _other_ than a girl, and _what the fuck_? Haku had been all over him for a second after that, hanging on like _he_ was a girl…and Naruto had taken that moment to notice that the guy was wearing a skirt after all, and must do so for a reason.

Now, here they sat. Haku had his legs tucked beneath him, skirt tucked around his legs, and eating as dainty as you please. Naruto tried to look at him without being obvious about it, then just gave up and stared. He took in the whole picture of hair, clothes, and the face that seemed to stay one shade of pink or another.

So Haku was like _that_.

He supposed he should have known. He didn't know how he felt about it, or if he felt anything at all. A person's business was their business, right? Not like it was any skin off Naruto's back. Guy wanted to be seen as a girl, well then who was Naruto to judge? Besides, he'd seen stuff like that before. Maybe not a case as far gone as Haku's, but still.

Well, okay then. Moving on.

The whistle for second shift blew.  
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Naruto could honestly say that Sasuke rarely entered his mind over the next few days. Their clashes at the site fizzled away into a smooth routine between the four of them that had the west sector ahead of any other sector as far as schedules went. Sometimes he even found himself doing a task side by side with Sasuke, and it didn't bother him anywhere near as much as it would have before that lunch with Haku.

Haku took up all his attention. For real this time. Which he wouldn't have believed possible after how stuck on Sasuke his mind had been. If he noticed Sasuke at all now, it was in an abstract sort of way.

Haku.

Guy was fascinating. And now that he was looking, Naruto seemed to find all sorts of little things about him that he'd never noticed before. Like just how much Haku worked to assist him and make life easier for him with the various construction tasks. How he was always ready with a smile whenever Naruto looked his way, which was often, or how he always had something ego-boosting to say about Naruto. And the way he said his name. All soft and _Naruto-kun_ …like that.

And the touches. Haku touched him a lot.

Nothing major, but their hands seemed to touch more than was necessary when equipment was passed between them, or when they had to do a job together. Sometimes their shoulders bumped when they mixed cement, or sawed wood. Once…once Haku had taken the hem of his skirt and wiped at the sweat running down Naruto's face. They'd both been red after that.

He liked it. He liked feeling the warm and pleasant jumpiness he was starting to feel whenever he and Haku's eyes met, and he liked the way Haku looked at him as if he was-

_A boyfriend_

-already the Hokage. Made him feel great, actually. It was a far cry from the bitter anger he was used to feeling over Sasuke. He could get used to this. More than once Kiba had caught a goofy grin on his face and he'd been unable to hide it.

-oOo-

At night, after they'd whispered back and forth a bit, Naruto would turn on his back in preparation for sleep, and that was when the heavy thoughts would come.

_I guess he's gay. Does he like me like that? Does he want me like that? What if he does? What do I do, ask him out?_

… _Do_ I _like_ him _like that?_

That was a big question. The only question, really. And one night, when everyone around him lay snoring, Naruto cautiously admitted that Haku _was_ pretty, and he _did_ make him feel good. That yes, he did like him like that.

He'd held his breath for a minute, testing the truth of this knowledge within himself. After awhile he'd breathed again. Not like he hadn't had thoughts about boys before. And girls. He could remember a short but violent crush on Neji about two years ago, and Sakura still held some appeal, if more of a sisterly one. And something about being battle commander had made Gaara _super_ hot, but yeah…liking boys had never been that big a deal. Just something he kept to himself, the way most people kept it to themselves.  
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"You still haven't told me where we're going," Haku smiled the following week. He ducked a low-hanging branch, very aware of the way Naruto kept glancing behind them as he steadily led them deeper into the forest surrounding Konoha. "Is it a secret?"

Naruto surprised and pleased him to no end by reaching back and grabbing his hand. "Yeah, it is," Naruto said. "Hang on a sec."

Haku went still at the whispered command, opening his senses wide. He heard nothing, and apparently neither did Naruto. His large hand tightened around Haku's, and they resumed walking.

-oOo-

The forest was cool and shady, a welcome change from the fierce heat at the construction site. Not for the first time, Haku thought it very considerate of the Hokage to give the villagers a day off from working during the week.

At first it seemed like they were heading for the waterfalls, but Naruto veered east, tugging Haku all the while. The touch of Naruto's hand had his entire body reacting, and he squeezed it gently from time to time. Naruto squeezed back, looking at him a few times with an embarrassed grin that made Haku's heart stutter. It was the first time they'd engaged in such prolonged contact.

They walked for a long time, hands tightly clasped, until the shade in the forest deepened. It became dark and damp and more than a little ominous. The budding mood of romance Haku was feeling was gradually replaced by wariness, his senses on high alert. By the time Naruto stopped, Haku estimated that they were many miles from the village, and in the deepest part of the forest. He was about to ask why they were here, but he heard rustling to his right and tensed himself to respond violently.

Two faces smeared in dirt and camouflage paint emerged from a low bush. As the bodies followed the faces, Haku saw that the leaves and twigs were attached to them and that they _were_ the bushes. He recognized Konohamaru and Inari, and broke into a relieved smile. For a moment there, he'd been about to call out his chakra.

Naruto, dressed in a black T-shirt and pants, was all business. "Were you followed?" he asked in a low, deep voice.

"No, Boss," the boys chorused, equally low.

"Seen leaving the village?"

"No, Boss."

"Provisions?"

Both boys produced knapsacks full of sweets, chips, soda, and other goodies. Naruto looked down his nose at this offering, hands on hips, back ramrod straight. After a lengthy pause, he gave a single regal nod. "Acceptable. Let us begin."

Haku had to cover his mouth at the solemn and dignified air Naruto strove for. Clearly this was some kind of elaborate game, but he wouldn't spoil it by laughing.

"Before we do so," Naruto intoned, "we have a guest. A new initiate into the circle." He swept his arm in a majestic arc to his right.

Konohamaru and Inari turned wide eyes to Haku, who straightened his own spine in spite of himself. He bowed deeply. "I am honored to be here," he said with as much gravity as he could muster.

Naruto, doing a good imitation of Sasuke, said, "You must prove yourself worthy, Haku of the Mirrors."

Haku waited. "How do I prove myself?" The urge to laugh was overwhelming.

Naruto abruptly deflated, falsely dignified air evaporating into a sheepish chortle. "Fuck if I know. This is only our third time meeting." He and the boys abruptly fell on the packs of food.

They all laughed at that point, and the forest seemed less sinister. Haku knelt beside Naruto and accepted a candy bar. "What goes on at these meetings?" he asked around of a mouthful of chocolate. He delicately wiped his mouth with one hand.

"Eh," Naruto gestured with his cookie. "Training, mostly. Sometimes we'll do little missions and stuff."

" _You_ train them?"

"Don't look so surprised. Konohamaru there has been my student since I was a Genin. Taught him some cool shit, too. Kid took out one of Pein's bodies, am I right dude?"

Konohamaru swelled in pride as he high fived Naruto. "You're still a Genin, Boss," he smiled.

"Shut up. And Inari, man. He and I go _way_ back," Naruto nodded. "Back when I met first you, Haku. He doesn't have the time or money to be sent to school, helping out his mom and gramps and everything, but he wants to become a ninja. I'm doing what I can to help him. Technically, I'm not supposed to be teaching a Genin and an unclassified kid A-rank shit, hence all the secrecy, but yeah. This is what we do."

Haku studied the two earnest boys. "And are the lessons going well?"

"Well enough, I guess." Naruto launched into a lengthy explanation, liberally peppered with both boys' interjections, about the progress they were making. Apparently Konohamaru, as a fire type, was easier for Naruto to teach than Inari, whom Naruto suspected was a water type. "I mean, I can basically bounce wind chakra off of K and teach him that way, but Inari is harder. Especially since he's never been to the Academy or any other kind of ninja school."

"Kay?"

Naruto waved at Konohamaru. "So? Any ideas?"

Haku turned to find Naruto looking at him expectantly. "Pardon?"

"You. Teach Inari. We've already covered the basics. He can walk up a tree and on water, but that took us forever. And I don't really know how to teach him anything else."

"Ah. I see."

Haku took a moment to marvel that Naruto's status in the village, and accomplishments during the war hadn't gone to his head. Where someone else wouldn't have deigned to even acknowledge a Genin or an apprenticed carpenter, Naruto was using his one day off to teach them. It was just one other dimension to him that only increased Haku's feelings.

In the end, Haku welcomed the challenge. He'd never taught anyone before, and the honor of Naruto entrusting one of his precious students to him was noted with intense pleasure.  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

They worked for hours. Konohamaru, accomplished in several of Naruto's signature moves, was now working on summoning, for which Naruto had given him the toad contract at the start of the lesson. Haku worked with Inari.

The boy was diligent and attentive, if clumsy at handling his chakra. He stopped him from molding it incorrectly for the third time. "No. Like this. Naruto? Please assist me a moment."

Naruto took a break from Konohamaru to stand facing Haku. " 'Sup?"

Haku adjusted his stance, and held a hand beneath his chin. "When sensing water chakra, or any chakra, within oneself you must envision it as a river of energy. It flows and ebbs where you want it to. This is what you are doing, Inari." He let his chakra manifest in the palm of one hand in an erratic display. Both young boys looked on. "This is what you _should_ be doing," Haku said. He gestured to Naruto.

Naruto caught on and let wind chakra appear in his hand. It was an even, steady release. Inari _ahh_ -ed in understanding.

"See the difference?" Haku lectured. "Until you have mastery over your chakra, your jutsu will never behave as you want them to."

"But I mastered the tree and water-walking," Inari said quickly. "Doesn't that mean-"

Haku wagged a finger while shaking his head. "Those are basics. We are talking about refinement now. Come, practice."

-oOo-

Later on, when they finally called it a night, they sat around the empty food wrappers, happy and tired, and relived the better moments of the day.

"That was cool, the way you and Haku demonstrated stuff," Konohamaru told Naruto. He was sprawled on his stomach, face propped in his hands. "It was like we were a family."

Naruto chuckled around a frown. "Huh?" He and Haku had collaborated a few more times, showing how a move against an opponent was supposed to look. "How so?"

Konohamaru frowned now too, but Inari understood and explained it better. "Like a mom and dad. How you guys are teaching us and stuff."

Naruto saw Konohamaru's nod and slowly turned his head to see how Haku was receiving this news.

Haku's head was bowed, and his face red, but he sensed Naruto's look and met it with one of his own. In that one brief glance, Naruto had a flash of insight. A complicated thought accompanied the realization.

Once, when he'd had to run a message to the north sector where Kakashi-sensei worked with a different crew, Naruto had made the mistake of walking into the foreman's hut without knocking. At first he thought his former teachers were falling down or something, but then he realized that Kakashi was in the process of pushing Iruka-sensei face first into the wall. Naruto had stood there, shocked and silent, as Kakashi fumbled at the front of his pants, then seemed to shove himself against Iruka's back. Iruka-sensei had given a long, throaty moan, and Naruto had turned without a word and gotten out of there.

That was the image that flashed through his mind when he looked at Haku now. _He_ does _like me like that. He wants to submit to me…wants me to totally take him the way Kakashi-sensei was going at it with Iruka-sensei_.

The weird thing? Looking at the way Haku blushed so prettily, and feeling an answering roll of heat in his belly, Naruto suddenly had that self-impression of manliness again. He felt strong and dominant…and like maybe he wanted to do that too.


	5. Chapter 5

He was sure there'd be serious consequences for ditching his ANBU escort, but Sasuke considered the possibility well worth it. He had to know where Naruto and Haku were sneaking off to.

Then again, he really wouldn't be able to make much progress with Naruto from jail; instead of ditching his escort, Sasuke asked for the privacy to answer a call of nature, went behind a bush, and created a clone. He had the clone cloak itself before sending it after where Naruto and Haku were disappearing into the woods.

Watching Naruto and Haku for the past week had been nothing but torture. He _hated_ Haku. What had possessed him to request working on Kiba's crew? Oh, right. The bright idea that constant proximity would soften Naruto to his cause. What a joke.

He'd tried, too. More than he'd been trying before being reassigned. He made a concerted effort to be friends with Naruto. Tried to be helpful and –ugh- _nice_. Tried being polite and putting up with Naruto's attitude, and all it got him was being ignored. Hell, Kiba paid more attention to him than Naruto did.

It was Haku's fault. If Haku weren't around, Naruto would be forced to focus on Sasuke's presence and the fact that he was practically rupturing himself in his mission for friendship. But all Naruto could see was Haku, Haku, Haku.

Sasuke didn't think he'd ever detested anyone with as much intensity. Maybe he could have borne it if Haku were just any other guy; he could match and best any guy Naruto chose to hang out with, but Haku was different. He was effeminate and beautiful and graceful. Things Sasuke wasn't, and he was _glad_ he wasn't, but it made competing with him next to impossible. Clearly Naruto preferred that kind of company. And Sasuke wasn't wearing a skirt for anyone.

He was sure he could take Haku, if it came down to it. Things would go a lot differently than they had on the bridge. This happy thought, dwelt on often, soothed his injured pride, but did nothing for the current situation. And it wasn't like he was asking for much, either. All he wanted was to honor his brother in some small way, dammit. But all Naruto could see was that girlish freak.

Oh, he'd clocked the eye contact, the smiles, and the blushing all right. The furtive little touches and nudges. It was sickening. It gave him some small measure of comfort to notice that at first Naruto didn't seem to be as hot for Haku as Haku was for him, but then even that changed. He'd seen it happen. Right before lunch one day, the two of them had shared a look so long and private that Sasuke's skin had heated just watching it. And later they hadn't been at Ichiraku's.

And here it was their day off, and Naruto and Haku, instead of spending it sleeping or wandering about the village like everyone else, had snuck off to parts unknown.

-oOo-

Later, when his clone sent back the information on what Naruto and Haku had been up to for the day, including all the conversations they'd had, Sasuke thought he'd have some kind of aneurysm. His promise to make Naruto pay for wishing him dead came back to him, and he was ready. Ready to just unleash all the frustration he was feeling on Naruto the second he saw him. He spent all of a minute seriously debating ditching his escort for real. Then he forcefully called up a measure of cool, calm collectedness and settled into his bunk to read.

-oOo-

Over the next two weeks, he kept his composure. Ignored totally by Naruto at the site, it gave him a weird mixture of satisfaction and misery to know what Naruto and Haku did on their days off. On the one hand, he liked knowing their little secret. He felt like it gave him power over them and the little 'family' they had out there in the forest. On the other hand, it did nothing for him to see how much closer Naruto and Haku were becoming. With each dewy glance they shared, and every deliberately accidental touch, he could see his chances dwindling. Naruto _could_ have more than one friend, he supposed, but…he just didn't like Haku. And he didn't want him around Naruto.

And he couldn't _stand_ the way Haku looked at Naruto. Like Naruto was the love of his life. That right there opened up a whole new door of possibilities. Love meant Haku would feel possessive of Naruto, and if Naruto felt the same, there was no telling what he might do in return. Up and leave the village when Haku did, maybe. Might even abandon his dream of being Hokage.

No, Naruto would never do that, he told himself. _But you can't know for sure_.

He wished Haku had died and stayed dead.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Okay, students!" Naruto barked at the end of that day's lessons. "Next time we come out here, we'll be doing a special mission. You'll have to use what we've been teaching you, so practice! Practice, practice, practice!"

" _Yosh!_ " the boys grunted in unison.

Naruto watched as a sweaty and exhausted Konohamaru and Inari went back to the village via separate routes, the better to minimize the chances of being caught. He was left to walk beside Haku as they went home on their own.

The silence after their noisy training seemed unnatural, but it was always like this at the end of their days off. As usual, Naruto shoved his hands into his pockets and tried to think of something to talk about.

Since realizing Haku's feelings, as well as his own, he'd been existing in a kind of suspended bubble of flirtation. That was the only way he could look at it. He and Haku were both aware of each other and their feelings for the other, but did nothing more than flirt with the knowledge, and each other. For Naruto, it was new territory; he'd never dared to flirt with anyone, nor had anyone ever considered him worth flirting with. It was heady stuff.

He was perfectly content for this to go on indefinitely for a number of reasons. One, he wasn't quite sure what he and Haku were- boyfriends, boyfriend and girlfriend, or just friends. Two, he was reluctant to try and analyze what they were for fear he'd come up with the wrong answer and mess up the nice flirty interactions they had going on. Three, and this was the main one, he was helpless _not_ to analyze what they were, and he always came up with some variation of boyfriend/girlfriend…with Haku being the girlfriend.

That in itself was another ball game.

He'd liked boys before, sure. But never a boy who seemed like a girl. And Haku seemed more and more as if he was expecting something from Naruto. Like Naruto was in charge, and thus needed to act like it. The slanted glances Haku gave were becoming longer, more pointed, the touches softer and more…something. It made Naruto nervous, the way the silent expectations of him were all but screamed through their flirting. Hell, he didn't know the first thing about being a boyfriend to a boy _or_ a girl, so whenever he and Haku were alone like this, things got really quiet between them. And he wracked his brain for something to talk about.

Then again, it wasn't like him to run from things…

-oOo-

When they were almost back to the village, Naruto cleared his throat. "Fall Festival's coming up in a few days…"

Haku made a small movement at his side. "Yes."

"So, uh…was wondering. If you wanted to go. With me." Naruto stared hard at the forest floor. _I did not just ask him out_.

Haku stopped walking. Forced to do the same, Naruto reluctantly turned to face him. "Are you asking me out, Naruto-kun?"

 _Fuuuuuuuck!_ "Yeah, I guess I am."

Haku smiled directly into his eyes. One of those shy, but girly smiles, the ones that made Naruto's insides do odd things. "In that case, I'd be delighted to go," he said.

Tension drained off Naruto like sweat. He grinned. "Yeah? Cool."

They stood there awhile, aware that a statement had been made, boundaries established, but unwilling to address it any more plainly than this. Eventually the prolonged eye contact had their smiles fading. Haku's chin seemed to lower, an action that made him look ten times more appealing in Naruto's book…and Naruto found himself taking a step closer. Haku watched him from beneath his lashes, making Naruto's heart pound as he took one hand out of his pocket, reached for Haku's face, and leaned in-

A tree limb crashed to the ground right behind them, and they sprang apart.

-oOo-

Back at the barracks, Chouji informed them that he'd saved them some food. Naruto was interested to note that Sasuke had nothing but venomous looks for him and Haku both, which brought him up short.

True, he hadn't much noticed Sasuke of late, but surely this was worse behavior than he'd exhibited before? "What's _your_ problem?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke ignored him.

Naruto stared at him awhile, until Haku handed him a plate of food.  
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Fall Festival used to be a celebration of harvesting and certain gods who'd seen fit to bestow their bounty on the people of Earth. Now it was just a great big party to commemorate the end of the growing season. Some people still dressed up in costumes of the various Shinto gods, but mostly there was just a lot of food, a lot of music, and a lot of camaraderie in the air. Not to mention romance. Many children were born nine months after the Fall Festival, and people who'd been just friends before the festival sometimes ended up being more than friends afterward.

By some weird twist of fate, Naruto, Haku, and Sasuke were left alone in the barracks to get ready. Everyone else had dressed and left long before them.

Naruto wore what he always wore, the only difference being that he spent a lot of time combing his hair. This was partly because he'd just noticed that it stood straight up, and partly because Haku was behind the barracks' one privacy screen, dressing.

That left him in the main part of the room with Sasuke, who was donning a black sleeveless tunic that really emphasized his muscular arms. Naruto's hand stilled with the comb as his eyes watched Sasuke through the mirror.

Sasuke looked up and caught him staring.

The eye contact was like a punch through Naruto, one that flared his nostrils as he slowly lowered his hand. It felt like he hadn't looked Sasuke in the eye in ages. Years. Like he was seeing him for the first time. And Sasuke didn't look mean or angry just now, either. He just looked-

"I'm ready," Haku murmured.

Naruto spun away from the mirror to find Haku standing at his elbow. He didn't notice Sasuke quietly leaving the barracks.

Haku was wearing a flowing silk kimono in soft pink, with delicate sakura blossoms embroidered on the sleeves. His hair was done up in some elaborate style, complete with matching hair ornaments that looked like more flowers. He had a lacy fan open and held in front of his face, while his eyes peeped from behind, somehow enhanced so that they looked huge and beguiling.

"Wow," Naruto managed after he'd closed his mouth. "You look b-beautiful."

Haku blushed to his hairline.

-oOo-

The festival was mostly set up around the center of the village. Market stalls blazed with colorful lights and Japanese lanterns. Acrobats tumbled everywhere, or else juggled and entertained passing children. Lanes were made up of the various stalls and kiosks, and at every intersection, it seemed, someone Naruto knew stopped to ask him who his date was. At this point, Haku would be recognized. The nosy curiosity would leave, to be replaced with simple friendliness; Naruto and Haku were always together, so tonight was no different in their eyes.

Naruto wasn't sure what to make of the fact that his friends obviously found the idea of him dating a guy impossible. In the end he shrugged it off. There were a few things on his mind that he found more pressing.

Like the fact that he _was_ on a date with a guy. A date. With a guy. A _date_.

That meant all kinds of scary shit. Why the hell had he asked Haku out? If he thought there'd been silent expectations before, it was nothing compared to now. Especially since he saw Sasuke a few times and the look he gave them left no doubt that he, at least, knew the deal with him and Haku, even if no one else did.

Back to the date. Back when he'd been panting after Sakura, all he seemed to think about was dating her. This had meant one thing and one thing only: kissing a girl and touching her boobs. He could recalls hours upon hours of thinking about that and nothing else. He didn't have to look to confirm that Haku had nothing up top, but what did that mean? That he'd be fondling other things? _Like his junk?_ He almost laughed. _Well, I can kiss him at least_. He did risk a peek at Haku then, and had to look away in nervous embarrassment.

They passed a stall promising prizes if a target could be hit with a kunai. It seemed like child's play, until Naruto hefted the kunai and found it weighted. When Naruto threw it at the target anyway, it went wide. It took him three tries to discover that the blade manipulated the chakra of one's hand, and thus skewed their aim. By then he'd thrown it with enough force to bypass the trickery, shatter the target, and win the biggest stuffed frog the guy had up. Naruto handed this to Haku, then promptly reported the man to ANBU for running a shady operation.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The evening went unbelievably well, considering how nervous he was. For the first hour or so he and Haku ran through stilted conversation as they struggled with their nerves. This gradually smoothed out as it became obvious that the only ones to really know they were on a date was themselves. Haku especially seemed to come out of his shell of discomfort to blossom into something Naruto had never experienced with him before.

It took awhile for him to put a name to it. He watched as Haku began leaving his side to point to things with his fan, or show him the offerings of a particular stall. Always, he would glance back at Naruto with a coquettish little smile and a demure look that would have Naruto's loins pulsing. Whenever Naruto caught up to him, Haku would glide away, presumably to show him something else, all the while still shooting those smiles and smoldering glances his way.

 _Seductive_.

That was the word that eluded Naruto until he was following Haku into a large pavilion set up as a house of mirrors. Haku ducked inside with a swish of his kimono and the lingering scent of his jasmine perfume, a smell that beckoned Naruto as much as burgeoning thoughts of how this night would end.

It was worse in the pavilion. Haku escaped him again, but then Naruto seemed surrounded by hundreds of Hakus. All giggling in that low voice, fluttering that lacy fan, and staring at him with gorgeous brown eyes. Naruto's breath misted in the suddenly cool air as he spun in a slow circle, taunted and titillated on every sensory front. He heard _"Naruto-kun,"_ whispered from a hundred pairs of lips, and just snapped.

A rock-hard erection exploded to life at this auditory caress at the same moment that his chakra lashed out of him and reduced both the pavilion and the mirrors to so much tinkling glass and shredded cloth. He stood panting as glass and material settled around him, blinking in confusion and excitement, until frightened screams and yelling reminded his muddled brain that there were other people in the pavilion.

Haku was quickly at his side. "I think we should leave," he said. Naruto agreed. He reached for Haku, and disappeared with the shorter man's hand firmly in his.

-oOo-

Outside, and a safe distance away from the crime, Naruto abruptly burst out laughing. "Man! Hope no one was hurt."

"I had control of the mirrors, so it's doubtful," Haku chuckled. "Most of what you saw was my doing. There were actually very few mirrors in the-"

Naruto kissed him.

It was awkward, seeing as it was spur of the moment. Their bodies were angled wrong, and Naruto's aim was a bit off, but he landed another hard peck to Haku's mouth for good measure…then he turned and started to pull Haku to him to do the job properly. He held Haku by the shoulders as he determinedly pressed their lips together and held the kiss.

Haku allowed this for a few moments, slightly disappointed, before gently pulling back. "You've never done that before."

Naruto colored at the statement. "Obvious, huh?" The silence that greeted him was answer enough. He blew out a breath and nervously scratched the back of his head. "Sorry."

They stood there, in the dark space behind one of the generators lighting a row of stalls, until Haku took his hand and began walking.

When he could stand it no more, Naruto asked, "You mad?"

"Hardly."

"Oh. What are you thinking?"

"How young you are. And what an excellent student you are."

"Student?" Naruto risked a glance in Haku's direction.

"Yes. I know how well you apply yourself to things you want to learn. I have no doubt you'll learn how to kiss, and do other things, quite rapidly."

 _Other things_... Naruto felt his tongue cleave to the roof of his mouth.

"Especially," Haku said as he caught Naruto's look, "since I'm such a great teacher."

This was said in such a way that there was no doubt as to when this lesson would be taking place. Still joined by the hands, Naruto felt himself being led away through the festival, past kiosks and laughing people, with no care as to who saw them holding hands or not.

Haku was pulled away by the couple he'd come to Konoha with when he and Naruto passed them at the card tables. Naruto nodded politely to them, then sauntered off to wait for Haku across the road. He felt hot and shaky, and was grateful for the moment alone to collect himself.

-oOo-

 _Holy shit, I think I'm getting laid tonight!_

The amount of excitement this thought called up _had_ to be indecent. Naruto checked the stupid grin on his face while trying to make sure no one was looking at him. He felt like his excitement was visible to everyone. Like he was lit up brighter than the fireworks periodically going off. His loins throbbed and hummed in time to his escalating heartbeat; as soon as Haku extricated himself from his parents, he, Uzumaki Naruto, would become a man…

 _Wonder what it'll be like?_ It sort of shamed him that his inexperience had been brought up. Enough so that he was silently vowing to apply himself to the night ahead as he'd applied himself to nothing previously. He would _make_ sure he was doing it right, and see that Haku was pleased, and-

Sasuke materialized next to him, but then the bastard hadn't stopped following him all night. Naruto had been aware of his presence in a distant way, focused on Haku as he'd been tonight. As recently as a few weeks ago, that kind of stalking would have had him choking back his rage. Now he could scarcely trouble himself to care…though at this proximity Sasuke's cologne was noticeable.

It was a woodsy, spicy scent. Something that cut through Naruto's excitement over Haku as neatly as a blade. Cut through it and somehow twisted it. Mutated it so that he was still excited, but for other reasons, ones he couldn't identify. Frowning at this response in himself, Naruto cleared his throat. "Back to stalking me, I see." He didn't bother looking at Sasuke, only folded his arms across his chest and stared at the milling crowd.

"Seems I was right, and you did land yourself a girlfriend." Sasuke stood the exact same way.

 _So he saw the kiss. Good for him_. Naruto considered responses. _Damn, that cologne is distracting_. It made his stomach writhe. He tightened his arms over his midsection, forcing himself to think. "Jealous?"

"Maybe."

The way his stomach cramped at that was deliberately ignored. Naruto turned his head with protracted slowness, to stare at Sasuke's profile. "What?" His mouth was dry.

Sasuke glanced at him, then rolled his eyes. "I don't want to be your girlfriend, asshole. Just your friend."

Naruto leaned sideways to look Sasuke right in the face. "And I repeat. _What?_ "

A minor staring match. Somehow the way those black eyes made his blood boil with anger and resentment also made Naruto feel like he was betraying Haku in some way. Which was nonsense. And that cologne was all but screaming in his nose now, intensifying the ache in his gut, starting to make him sweat-

Sasuke looked away first. "Whatever." He pushed off from the wall they were leaning on and began strolling away.

Naruto almost went after him, but Haku came back then. He followed Naruto's gaze and saw Sasuke's broad back parting the crowd. "Is everything all right?"

"Fine," Naruto bit out.

Haku opened his mouth to say something else, but Naruto turned to him, eyes blazing, and said, "Do you want to get out of here?"

"Yes. All right."  
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As soon as he said it, Naruto recalled that he stood a good chance of getting laid tonight. Or he had been. His mood was nicely ruined now thanks to Sasuke.

But Haku didn't know that, and didn't _need_ to know that. 'Getting out of there' meant being alone, so Haku was likely still expecting him to do boyfriendly things…

They were heading out of the festival now, towards the quieter, darker streets. They were recently rebuilt, with brand new apartment buildings and shops lining them. Naruto realized they'd unconsciously walked to the west sector, recognized a building they'd completed only last week, and headed for the entrance. He held the door open for Haku, who swept past him with a whisper of silk.

He hesitated before following Haku up the shadowy staircase. Once he closed the door, he'd be opening another one, one he wasn't quite sure he was ready to walk through anymore. But then an image of Sasuke came to him, of how he'd looked tonight dressed all in black, of him supposedly wanting to be friends, and Naruto closed the building door firmly.

-oOo-

None of the apartments were inhabited, so they were bare. Haku took the stairs all the way to the roof, where he waited beneath the full moon for Naruto to join him.

He was nervous.

Naruto's feelings were obvious, but he wouldn't have thought they were ready for this development quite yet. And he wasn't entirely sure what Naruto's experience was. It had been gratifying in the extreme to find out he even preferred men. Intimacy had seemed like hoping for too much, given Naruto's youth, and yet he'd kissed him. Awkward though it had been, Naruto had kissed him with no small amount of eagerness. And he'd been the one to suggest they leave the festival. Haku's stomach fluttered in anticipation. _He may not have done much kissing, but he must have_ some _experience…or else he wouldn't have suggested we leave_. The way Naruto had taken charge left him slightly breathless.

Then he remembered Sasuke, and the way Naruto seemed to be upset over something he might have said. And when Naruto emerged onto the roof a moment later, the scowl was still on his face. His eyes found him and remained on him as he approached. Haku's nerves were temporarily replaced with concern. "Naruto-kun…did someone upset you tonight?"

"Huh?" Naruto pulled up just short of Haku, looking down at him. "No, why?"

"I thought maybe Sasuke-kun-"

Naruto put his head back and groaned as he walked past him. He leaned his forearms on the low wall running around the edge of the roof. "Why can't I escape that guy tonight? He's everywhere."

"He is?" _So he noticed him following us, too_. "I'm sorry-"

"No." Naruto twisted so he was leaning on one elbow, looking at him. "No, don't apologize. Sasuke's mess is all his own."

Haku huddled in on himself a moment, aware that he'd annoyed Naruto despite being told that he hadn't. "Did he say something?" he ventured.

Naruto studied him for a long moment, then looked out at the festival visible in the distance. "Yeah. Said he was jealous of you."

Haku stiffened.

"And that he wanted to be my friend."

"Jealous of me in what way?" _If Sasuke wants Naruto, that would explain a lot_.

Naruto looked at him again. "Not the way you think. Doesn't matter anyway. You think I believe his ass? Please, man. _Puh-lease_. It's just one more way he's trying to fuck with my head."

"I see." _And he's obviously succeeded_ , Haku thought. For a moment he was resentful that Sasuke could intrude this way on what was supposed to be a private moment. Then he reasoned that since the moment was ruined anyway, he might as well discover just what the problem was. "You never told me what happened between the two of you," he said softly. "After the war, I mean. Why things seem to be so…strained between you two. It seems like more than what you told me at the training grounds. Did…something happen between the two of you after the war?"

Naruto continued to look out over the village, but his jaw flexed as he clenched his teeth. "No."

"I'm not trying to pry," Haku continued. "I just hate seeing you so upset. Maybe if you talked about it-"

"Nothing. Happened."

"All right." Haku turned to look out over the village as well, saddened over the ruined evening.

Many minutes later, Naruto said, "I don't know why he's back."

"Oh?"

"He doesn't _want_ to be back, that's clear. But since he is…I mean, when I found out he was coming back, I was really happy. Thought he'd finally seen the light and changed. Thought we'd be friends, that things could maybe be like they were before."

"Before he left, you mean?"

"Yeah." Naruto dropped his chin to his forearms and sighed. "But we _weren't_ friends before he'd left. I'd forgotten that. And when he came back, he just looked at me, sneered, then let ANBU lead him away. And I'm like, if he's back he should be all the way back. Try and pick up his old life, and old friends…especially the ones who kept believing in his ass when everyone else was trying to kill him."

Haku's heart went out to him. "He rejected you. Out there when you were chasing him, and back here once he'd returned. He's always rejected you."

"Exactly. And now he expects me to come running to him, seems like."

"I see. Do you know why he came back? I mean…did something happen to him?"

"I don't know. I think I heard a rumor that he spoke with the resurrected Itachi, but I don't know. And I don't care."

"I think you do. More than you want to admit. And if he wants to be friends-"

Naruto straightened up and turned to face Haku. "I don't _care_ what he wants. He's not my friend. Never was, never will be. And I don't want to talk about him anymore right now. Or ever."

Haku closed his mouth. Sasuke would always be a sore subject for Naruto, he could see that. But then Naruto stepped closer to him and all thoughts of Sasuke left his mind.

Naruto stopped when he saw Haku duck his head bashfully. What was he doing? He'd been about to move in on Haku with no warning whatsoever, and no clue in hell as to what he was doing. He was letting his Sasuke-drama cloud his thinking and blind him to the fact that Haku deserved better than to be subject to anything less than his full attention. If he wasn't careful, he'd end up bungling the kiss all over again.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I'm not thinking straight-"

"It's all right."

"I mean I wanted tonight to be special-"

"It is."

"And here I am dropping my issues all over you and acting out because of Sasuke-"

"Then you _don't_ want to touch me?" Haku raised luminous eyes to his.

Naruto's mouth dropped open as his mind stuttered. "Wha- I mean…I…" He straightened his shoulders. "Yeah…I do." _What the fuck am I saying?_

Haku's skin shivered all at once. "What's stopping you, then?"

"Nothing, I-"

Haku waited, watching as Naruto's face went a dull red. When Naruto lowered his face in embarrassment, understanding came. "I can…guide you, if you like?"

Naruto turned away, presenting his back.

"Or we can wait? Until you're ready?"

"You really want to be with me?" Naruto whispered without turning around. "Like that? All the way, I mean?"

Haku debated giving in to the urge to put his arms around Naruto. _He's so lonely, and he always tries to hide it_. "I've never wanted anything more."

Naruto turned then, and his eyes were over-bright in the moonlight. "I wish everyone could be like you."

"How is that?" Haku drifted closer, even as Naruto did, as he pulled by some force Naruto exuded.

"Just…good. You didn't go all crazy when you had to kill your parents, or when you were with Zabuza. You had a code you believed in and lived by, even if your situation was horrible. And you're _good_. Nice. You don't hurt people. You're kind. You…you like me."

"You wish everyone could like you? They already do." They were so close to each other now that he could feel Naruto's heat.

The blue eyes ran over his face, pausing on his mouth. "I don't care anymore who doesn't like me or why," Naruto said huskily. "You do, and that's good enough." His head began lowering.

"W-we can wait," Haku got out on a hitched breath of excitement. Even as he said it, though, he was rising on tiptoe, and lifting his face.

"Don't want to wait," Naruto said against his mouth.

Sighing and shivering everywhere, Haku let his eyes drift shut as Naruto finally snaked an arm around him and pulled him in.


	6. Chapter 6

It was better than the first kiss. Much.

Naruto's jittery nerves seemed to evaporate, taking his lingering hurt with it, as Haku's wiry body melted in his arms. Melted against him, molded to the contours of his own body, and seemed to become soft and pliant as he put his other arm around him. He felt those powerful hands sliding up his cheeks to thread into his hair. They brought his head closer at the same moment that the kiss turned wet… Their mouths opened and claimed each other in a fusion of sweet, dizzying desire.

They stood among the turbine vents spaced across the roof, washed by the warm air they emitted, kissing and mewling and groping. There was only one difficult moment: when Haku's tongue touched Naruto's, the taller boy pulled back with nerves again, which made Haku drop back to his heels in embarrassment. But Naruto rallied himself and forged ahead, until they were both oblivious to their surroundings.

For Naruto, it was like being immersed in a warm bath of sensation. This was concentrated in his groin, which ached insistently, but he felt it everywhere, right up to the tips of his hair, it felt like. The tiny sounds of delight Haku made, the way their panting fanned the warmth to a dull heat, the way their heads slanted with slowly increasing force, coming together for longer periods… and then they stayed together, with his arms crushed around Haku, and Haku's feet a good six inches off the roof… all of that contributed to the bubbling stew of sensation in him. His heart thumped out a staccato beat of giddy excitement and pride that he was _actually doing this_.

Haku distinctly remembered Zabuza's brief, close-lipped kisses. They'd both been afraid his teeth would cut, and Zabuza had never been one for kissing and foreplay anyway. It seemed to Haku that the Jounin had simply scooped him up one day and plunked him in his bed.

The days of flirting with Naruto had whetted his appetite for things he realized now he'd always missed. Like the simple act of kissing. Naruto, Haku thought, was nowhere near as gauche as he'd thought. The kiss was untutored, unskilled, and thoroughly intoxicating because of that; he was hit with the full brunt of Naruto's youthful exuberance, ardor, and hunger, with no attempt made at seduction or manipulating his response. Feeling himself lifted, Haku issued a small sound of surprise. Then they were turning, and he felt himself pressed against the roof's door.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sasuke, watching from five houses away, jumped violently at feeling and hearing a presence at his back; his escort never came that close to him, and they were always silent. He turned, eyes red.

"So," Kiba drawled. His eyes flicked to what Sasuke had been staring at, narrowed briefly, then settled on Sasuke once more. Akamaru sat at his side, tongue lolling. "I can add peeping pervert to your list of character flaws. What with the stalking and everything else, that list is getting a bit long, don't you think?" Kiba said this without blinking.

Sasuke tried to think past his shock. Without taking his eyes off Kiba, he could see where his escorts were stationed. They would have had to clear Kiba for this amount of proximity to him, and he'd heard nothing at all. That kind of inattention was inexcusable. "What the hell do you want with me?" It was all he could manage.

Kiba's eyes slowly raked Sasuke from head to toe, an action that had Sasuke going stiff as a board. Something in that look was dangerous, and he felt it immediately.

"Let's just say I like to keep track of my crew," Kiba said as he ambled closer. "Especially a crew as contentious as you three seem to be." He leaned one hip against the low wall of their roof and studied the action five houses away for a moment. He then turned to face Sasuke, and that look was still in his eyes, that look that tightened Sasuke's shoulders with an awareness he associated with opponents.

Kiba had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. It wasn't funny, really it wasn't, but Sasuke looked and smelled so threatened. It was all he could do not to crack up. Especially since he _was_ sort of threatening him.

He held the red eyes with his own.

The urge to laugh passed as the tension climbed. Sasuke refused to back down, and Kiba privately hoped the ass would make a move. He could feel the alert levels of Sasuke's escort, already high, spike several notches.

Because it obviously added to Sasuke's discomfort, Kiba gave him another leisurely once over, letting his eyes linger on the muscular arms, the broad chest, and the wide stance. Sasuke's hands were curled into loose fists, but he could see the width and strength of them. That had one corner of Kiba's mouth quirking up. He imagined one of those hands braced against his own chest, the nails digging into his skin, Sasuke's lip caught between his teeth…

When he raised his eyes to Sasuke's face again, he heard him take in a soft breath. His Sharingan switched to Mangekyo.

 _I guess it shows on my face_ , Kiba thought. He liked his guys rough. There'd been one encounter immediately after the war was declared over with a tough older teen, some thick-necked brute from Suna. He'd lost his virginity in a single night of wild fucking, but there'd been no one since. Not many boys his age met his requirements. He wasn't cruel, but he wasn't that gentle either, and sturdy guys had always attracted him.

Sasuke's appeal hadn't really registered with him until he'd been forced to keep an eye on him at the site. Not only was Sasuke solid, he had the attitude and rage to go with it. Kiba fairly drooled. Sasuke was right to be on guard; as far as Kiba was concerned, Sasuke was fair game and he meant to have him.

The feather light smell of fear that snaked into the heavier scent of Sasuke's shock and anger made a slow smile stretch Kiba's lips.

-oOo-

Sasuke had been warned most emphatically by the Hokage that should he engage in violence of any kind, with anyone, for any reason, his parole would be revoked, and it would not be reinstated. He would be incarcerated for the rest of his life. Or until a new Hokage was voted into office. He was pushing it just by accessing his Doujutsu. The look Kiba was leveling at him was nothing short of predatory, and that smile…that smile made a line of sweat run down between his shoulder blades.

Clenching his jaw tightly in impotence, he reconsidered his position, then released Mangekyo. He also took a step back, meaning to end this. He'd go back to the barracks, and inform his escort that Kiba was never to-

"S'matter, Uchiha? Afraid of me?"

Thoughts of leaving were annihilated in a swift surge of stinging fury. " _Afraid!_ If you think for one _second_ -"

"You're the one backing up."

As if to compensate, Sasuke deliberately marched right up to Kiba and leaned into his face. His frustration of the evening, and his anger over what he'd been watching, nearly overrode his better judgment, which was never in abundant supply to begin with. "Suppose you tell me what the fuck you're doing here? The truth?" A sudden thought had him pulling his head back slightly. "Huh. You think I'm going to hurt Naruto, is that it?"

Kiba, enjoying the realization that he had a good two inches on Sasuke, snorted. "As if you could." And while Sasuke was choking on _that_ , he added, "I want to fuck you."

By now, Sasuke had stumbled back, eyes bulging, face nearly purple with the force of his rage. "Y-you…"

"Think on it and get back to me, _neh_?"

Kiba thought it was time to leave. Best to keep people like Sasuke off-balance. Allow them too much time to think or respond, and they always managed to make a mess of things. Besides, what he'd said was true. All he wanted was a night or two, not eternal love. Sasuke could chew on that, if he ever remembered how to breathe.

Now Kiba did laugh as he tipped his head for Akamaru to follow him away. He raised his hand to the ANBU agents to signal that he was done.

-oOo-

Sasuke, hearing Kiba's low chuckle follow him into the dark, really thought he would die then and there from the strain his fury put on him. It was nigh insupportable. His escort landed around him in concern, and he did nothing whatsoever to check his Mangekyo or the chakra curling off him as they warily advanced. He turned to spring after Kiba.  
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Naruto blinked in a dazed way at Haku's bare chest, where he'd so recently been nuzzling, before looking up and into the distance. He sat back on his haunches, eventually leaving Haku altogether to get to his feet. Frowning, he drifted to the edge of the roof and squinted. After a minute, Haku joined him. "What is it?"

"Sasuke," Naruto said. He was gone the next instant in a brief gust of wind.

-oOo-

Up close, he was surprised he hadn't heard the noise, seeing as they were so close to the roof he and Haku had been on, instead of just sensing Sasuke's chakra.

Three agents had Sasuke pinned down, their hands glowing as they employed a special restricting jutsu that had Sasuke's hands locked behind his back. Sasuke's Sharingan stuttered in and out of view as he tried to call it up against the jutsu's effects on him. He was yelling through his clenched teeth, spit flying from his mouth, as he twisted and writhed beneath the weight of those three agents.

"I repeat, either you calm down now or you will be brought before the Hokage!" one wolf-masked one grunted. When this seemed to fall on deaf ears, he looked behind himself to the agent holding down Sasuke's bucking legs. "Summon back up. And have a clone file a report with Tsunade-sama. Tell her we'll be bringing this one in."

Sasuke let out a long, furious roar through his teeth. The Sharingan managed to stay in place this time, though his entire body quivered with the effort, and then slowly, slowly shift to Mangekyo. The agents bore down on his body, which was starting to resist their combined strength. The glow on their hands intensified.

-oOo-

Naruto, thus far hidden from view, stepped into their line of sight. "What's…going on?" He'd never seen Sasuke like this, nor did he think there was a jutsu in existence that could hold an elite ninja down like that. Where were all Sasuke's power moves?

"Naruto-san, please leave," Wolf panted. "This situation is ours to handle."

"Are you taking him to jail?" Naruto asked. Sasuke's thrashing had cut his lip. It was now bleeding onto the roof, a sight he couldn't seem to look away from.

"He's violating his probation, so yes…now, go Naruto-san!" Wolf finally shook his head when Sasuke managed to get one knee beneath himself, then the other. "It's no use. Seal him!" he barked to the other agents.

Fascinated, Naruto watched as Sasuke's muscular body strained against the increased chakra output of the agents. He couldn't seem to think of Sasuke these days without feeling his insides burn with hate and resentment, but this was _Sasuke_. Like it or not, he had a history with the guy. Seeing Sasuke's cheek shoved into the roof, seeing the skin scraped from this same cheek as he twisted his head in rage, Naruto felt a ghost of his old feelings rise up. Not much, but when coupled with the sudden memory of Sasuke asking to be his friend tonight, Naruto found himself stepping forward. Whatever had happened, and no matter the fact that Sasuke had never been his friend, he could not just stand by and watch him being put down like an animal.

He touched Sasuke's head, pulling it up by a handful of hair. "Hey."

Sasuke went still at once, his eyes focusing on Naruto's face with difficulty. Surprised, the agents also went still.

"What the hell are you doing?" Naruto asked him. Compared to how hard Sasuke'd been screaming, his question was almost a whisper. "They're taking your dumb ass to Granny. The fuck are you _doing_?"

Sasuke made a choked sound in his throat. One of the agents formed a hand seal, and Sasuke's jaws unlocked. " _Kiba!_ " he bawled at the top of his lungs.

"Kiba? What about him?" Naruto blinked in confusion.

But Sasuke's reason was reasserting itself. He stared at Naruto, aware of the hand he still had in his hair, and realized he was trying to help him. This, when he'd received nothing but animosity from Naruto since being back, got through to him when nothing else could. "Don't let them take me to Tsunade," he said in a shaking voice.

Naruto watched as the red eyes turned black, and Sasuke's body forcibly relaxed. Dude had no right to ask him for anything, but again, that part of him that had held on to Sasuke for so long made him nod before he could think about it. But glancing at the agents, he saw that they didn't appear to be backing down anytime soon. "Guys…"

Wolf shook his head shortly. "Rules, Naruto-san. This one broke them, so he must be brought in. Tsunade-sama's orders regarding him were very clear."

"I know, but he's sorry," Naruto said. He dropped his eyes to Sasuke's face. "Right?"

Sasuke quickly nodded. "I apologize. I have violated my parole, and will willingly accept whatever punishment the Hokage deems acceptable in place of incarceration. It was…" Sasuke closed his eyes and forced out the rest. "An accident. It was an accident, and I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"There, see?" Naruto flashed a sudden grin, pouring on the charm. "Gimme five minutes with him."

The agents were implacable…but they did reluctantly stand up and release Sasuke. " _Two_ minutes," Wolf muttered.

Naruto released Sasuke's hair to reach over and snag one of his arms, which were still bound with chakra behind his back. He hauled him to his feet in one vicious yank. Sasuke stumbled after him and let himself be pressed against the scaffolding of the building's reservoir, whereupon Naruto got nose-to-nose with him. "Are you completely brain dead?" he whisper-screamed.

Sasuke's jaw clenched. "Kiba-"

"I don't give a fuck _what_ Kiba did, are you trying to get yourself thrown in jail? _Are you?_ "

"You care?" He winced as Naruto suddenly shoved off of him.

Naruto paced away a few steps, then swung back. "What is this? You stalk me, you want to be my friend, and now you want me to care about you?" He suddenly marched back and took a fistful of the meat on Sasuke's neck. "And what the hell is up with this cologne, huh? _Huh?_ "

"Let go of me," Sasuke hissed. Naruto released him. "Not like you don't deserve to be stalked, the way you chased me."

Naruto stared. "Something is seriously wrong with you. That came out sounding stupid even to _me_." He stood fuming at Sasuke's red face a second. "What'd Kiba do?"

Sasuke lowered his eyes. He didn't trust himself to speak of it without his Sharingan reappearing, and he didn't think he could ever admit it anyway. "Nothing."

"All this over nothing," Naruto snorted. He turned to go. "I seriously don't know why I bother. Same shit, each and every time." He flipped a hand in the air as he rounded the reservoir. "You don't want to tell me? _Fine_. Don't expect my help then. _Asssssshoooooole!_ " He yelled as the dark swallowed him.

The ANBU agents moved in as soon as Naruto was out of sight.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Haku was waiting on a corner of the roof, hands tucked into his sleeves. Naruto pulled up at seeing him. He waited until Haku's eyes followed the disappearing blurs of the agents, before taking another step closer. "Sasuke was-"

"I'd like to go back to the barracks now."

"Oh…okay."

During the longish walk back, Haku remained silent. This made Naruto nervous. He couldn't remember the last time Haku hadn't tried to bump into him or brush against him when they were out. And Haku looked straight ahead. No little glances Naruto's way.

Naruto wracked his brains, trying to think what Haku could have seen on the roof to piss him off. Then he remembered leaving Haku to investigate the chakra he'd felt. Left him high and dry. _Fuck_. Naruto peeked in Haku's direction. Should he apologize? He supposed he should. "Listen, I'm-"

"Would you mind terribly if I said goodnight to Otan-san and his wife? I'll meet you at the barracks later." Haku stopped in the street to say this, looking up at him with a neutral expression.

Otan and his wife were the couple Haku had come to Konoha with, Naruto knew. He also knew that Haku had said good night to them earlier, at the card tables. "Sure. Okay." Before he could blink, Haku was gone.

-oOo-

He didn't come back to the barracks that night, though Naruto waited until dawn. The next day was a holiday as well, but there was no festival. Most of the villagers were sleeping off sake indulgences, or just sleeping late like the rest of his friends. He got up quietly and dressed, noticing for the first time that Sasuke hadn't come back last night either. Kiba hailed him as he was stepping out the door, and caught up to him a second later.  
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Together, they walked the nearly deserted streets. It wasn't much past dawn. Litter was everywhere. With the village only being half built the way it was, it just made everything seem dirty and rundown. It was depressing and it did nothing to improve Naruto's mood.

"Lover's quarrel?" Kiba broke the silence by asking.

"Huh?"

"Didn't see Haku come in last night."

"So what makes you think it's a lover's quarrel? What the fuck, Kiba."

"Seeing as you two were all over each other last night, I figured-"

Naruto shot him a dangerous glare. "The hell are you talking about?"

"Roof. Ring any bells?" Kiba chuckled.

"You _saw_ that?"

"Only because I'd followed Sasuke's scent. He was the one cataloguing the action, not me."

"That piece of shit! Now I'm glad I didn't help him."

"Help him with what?"

Naruto remembered something. "Dude, what'd you do to him?"

"Sasuke?" Kiba stumbled forward a few steps as he laughed outright. "Nothing, why?"

Naruto summarized his second encounter with Sasuke. "I really thought he'd have a stroke. Should have seen him."

Kiba had to stop and lean on Akamaru, he was laughing so hard. It was a while before he could speak, but when he could he wiped his eyes and gasped, "Can't wait to see him at work tomorrow. Oh God." Then he burst out laughing again.

Naruto shook his head as they resumed walking. "Doubt we'll see him. Think his escort said something about him breaking rules, and he wasn't at the barracks last night. What _did_ you do to him? Really?"

Kiba wound down slowly. "Said I'm interested." He gave a careless shrug. "And I'm ten times as interested now that he's all hot and bothered for me. I hope he fights me."

Naruto kept his eyes straight ahead. One didn't usually advertise interest in the same sex. Either Kiba trusted him more than he'd known, or he was the only one being shy about his preferences. Then what he'd just heard really hit him. "You want Sasuke?"

"Meh…I don't know about all _that_. Want seems to mean a lot of things I'm not looking for. I just want to smash that a few times, y'know?"

"What?" Naruto glanced at him. Kiba lifted a leg and made lewd, forceful grinding motions with his hips. "Oh."

Imagining Kiba with Sasuke gave him a very strange feeling.

"Figured you can relate, the way you were all over _your_ man last night."

 _So that's why he told me_. "I'd appreciate you not spreading that around."

"I wouldn't do that, man, c'mon." Then, when Naruto remained silent, he said, "So where _is_ Haku?"

"I think he's mad at me."

Kiba almost asked if Naruto had been that bad, but thought better of it. _He_ might be in fine spirits this morning, but clearly Naruto wasn't. He finally put the cheerful manner aside in favor of a more serious approach. "Want to talk about it?"

"Not unless you know how I can make him forgive me. Do you?"

"Depends on what you did," Kiba shrugged. He shoved his hands into his pockets.

The only reason Naruto mumbled an account of his evening at all was because it was Kiba. And because Kiba had more or less confided in him as well. "And if you tell anyone-"

"Gimme _some_ credit, will you?" Kiba thought a moment. "I'm probably the last person to ask for relationship advice, seeing as I've never been in one. But Haku's girly."

"So?"

"So ask a girl what to do."

Naruto actually stopped walking and turned to Kiba with a huge smile on his face. "That's _perfect_ advice! I can ask Sakura or somebody." He rubbed his hands together. "Yosh. I should probably get to that."

Kiba nodded and climbed on Akamaru. " And I should get to my mom's. She and Hana have family shit for me to do today, go figure. Later!" He was gone with a wave.  
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Haku sat in a corner of the tiny tent he and the couple were sharing, and miserably selected another swatch of cloth. Many people in Konoha were pitching in by fashioning clothes and blankets for the coming winter. Until the textile district was rebuilt and re-staffed, all winter items were being made by hand, usually by those to elderly or young to do construction. Seeing as the couple had a pile of blankets to complete, and he obviously wasn't at the construction site, Haku thought the best thing would be for him to help out.

Besides, it kept his mind off Naruto.

Actually…no, it didn't.

But it allowed him the meager consolation that he was unconcerned enough to go about the task of quilting, and thus _pretend_ that his mind wasn't on Naruto. He was just in the process of congratulating himself on that feat when he pricked his thumb, and the illusion fizzled out.

It wasn't that he was mad at Naruto…he was, but that wasn't why he was avoiding him. He was confused. And the statement Naruto had made about Sasuke claiming to be jealous… For some reason he just couldn't forget about that. It made sense. All Sasuke's actions made a queer sort of sense now. If Sasuke only wanted Naruto for friendship, he wouldn't have displayed the hostility he consistently did whenever he, Haku, was around. So obviously, Sasuke wanted something more than friendship. That was fine. What wasn't fine was that despite Naruto's constant protestations that he wanted nothing to do with Sasuke, he clearly still had some kind of attachment to him.

Now that he was actively thinking about it, he supposed this fact had been right in front his face all along. To be fair, Naruto did seem to have a genuine interest in him, but it didn't equal what he obviously felt for Sasuke. He didn't even know what Naruto felt for Sasuke, only that it was powerful and dwarfed anything else Naruto had going on in his life. Case in point, Naruto had only begun paying more attention to him when Sasuke showed up at the site, as a means to demonstrate how much he didn't care that Sasuke was two feet from him.

Last night, though. If Haku needed any more proof that Naruto was completely focused on Sasuke and only Sasuke, he need only look at the way he'd been left hanging because Naruto thought Sasuke was in some sort of trouble. During the time he'd surreptitiously watched Naruto speaking to Sasuke, it had dawned on him that Naruto would always go to Sasuke's aid, no matter that he professed to hate his former teammate.

He could live with that, if it ended there. He suspected that it didn't, though. Whatever toxic, destructive thing was between them would remain until it destroyed one or the other of them, or both of them. In which case what was he doing here? He wanted to help Naruto, yes, but he also just _wanted_ him. Maybe that was asking too much. Maybe he had no right. What he did know was that the moment he'd heard that Sasuke wanted Naruto, he'd known true jealousy for the first time in his life. He just didn't want to be around Naruto when he himself was feeling so many negative things.

So naturally, when there was a scratch on their tent flap, and the sound of Naruto announcing himself, his first thought was to hide under the pile of quilts he'd been working on. He sat stiffly instead, breath held.

"Haku? I know you're in there. Can you _please_ come out?"

Naruto's silhouette was vaguely visible against the front of the tent, backwashed by the streetlamps in the area. Haku spent a few minutes staring at the shadow of spiky hair, before parting the halves of the entrance flap and ducking outside. "Yes?"

Naruto smiled broadly at him. "Hi!"

The impact of that smile was devastating. Haku sucked in a sharp breath, his muscles all tightening, as he realized how much he'd missed Naruto. How hurt he'd been. Right then, with Naruto's overwhelming smile almost blinding him, Haku thought: _Dear God. I'm in love with him_.

Silence seemed the best response.

Naruto's smile faltered. "Um…here."

Haku accepted the slightly wilted bouquet of wildflowers. Taking the time to note the clumps of dirt still clinging to the roots gave him the time he needed to compose himself. He looked back up at Naruto, silently willing him to do better than this, and waited for whatever was coming next in this obvious attempt to apologize.

"I'm, uh…sorry?" Naruto ventured when the silence had stretched out.

"For what?"

"For what?" Naruto grimaced at the ground and scratched his head. "For…um." His face brightened. "For not telling you I was leaving before going to see Sasuke."

Haku dropped the flowers and went back into his tent.

-oOo-

The following day he did not go to work at the site. Instead, he spent his time helping out around the village. Naruto was waiting outside the tent when he went home that evening. The flowers he had this time were long-stemmed, perfectly cut, wrapped in a sheet of filmy white tissue paper, and tied with a pink satin ribbon. Haku glanced from this beautiful offering, to the black eye Naruto had.

Naruto recited something he'd obviously memorized: "I'm sorry for being a senseless dick and leaving you alone on our very first date. It was insensitive of me, and it won't happen again." He thrust the bouquet at him awkwardly.

Haku accepted it. Looked at it. Bent to sniff the vibrant blooms. Fiddled with a corner of the tissue paper. Then decided that Naruto could do a bit better at identifying the cause of his upset. "Thank you, these are lovely," he said quietly. He entered the tent without a backward glance.

-oOo-

This time three days went by, during which time he thought for sure Naruto had given up. He tried to go about his new duties without letting on how much his heart pained him. On the morning of the fourth day he received an anonymous little note that was delivered by a tiny toad. The note cordially requested his presence at a certain location at sundown the next night.

For a long time on the appointed evening he simply sat in the tent and studied the dying flowers as the couple talked gently with each other about plans to stay in Konoha. He'd gone back and forth all day, trying to decide if he should show up or not. Naruto was trying, that much he could see, and his heart contracted painfully each time he thought about how he was hurting Naruto with his cold shoulder act.

But there was Sasuke.

He still hadn't gone back to the construction site, and consequently had no idea of whether or not Sasuke and Naruto were interacting in his absence. He assumed they were. If he had the right of Sasuke's past behavior, that Uchiha would be capitalizing on Haku's absence. Inundating Naruto with his own presence, so to speak.

This thought finally did the job of galvanizing him into motion. He stood and began dressing, telling the couple that he would be out and may or may not return.

It wasn't in his nature to intrude where he wasn't wanted, or reach for something someone else had a claim on, but upon giving his hair a final once-over, Haku decided that he would fight for Naruto. _I love him. He is the kindest, most generous, and strongest person I know. He's_ worth _fighting for_.  
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Naruto rubbed his sweaty palms down his thighs for what felt like the hundredth time. His eyes kept scanning the night, passing over nearby rooftops in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Haku's slight form. His senses were all thrown wide open, but there was nothing to sense. He dropped his chin onto one hand, sighing dolefully.

"Am I late?"

Naruto spun around on a squawk of fright. "What! I mean no. What the fuck, Haku!"

Haku stepped lightly from the roof's wall and onto the roof itself. His dark eyes ran slowly back and forth in shock. "This…you did all this for me?"

Naruto hauled his composure back in place with a supreme effort. "Yes. For you. I'm s-"

Haku held up a hand. He wanted to savor the sight, without words interrupting his enjoyment. He would give Naruto ample time to say his piece later.

It was the rooftop they'd kissed on. There were fragrant candles everywhere lighting the immediate area with a soft amber glow. Coupled with the dazzling rays of the setting sun, the roof almost seemed to be on fire. Interspersed between the candles were flowers of every size, color, and shape. Tiny sprays of baby's breath, large cannas, and just about every type of lily and rose he knew of. There were many he'd never seen before, all of which where arranged with the precision and artistry of a true botanist. Though the smell the flowers gave off was sweet and strong, it was not overpowering.

Haku inhaled appreciatively. He loved flowers.

And there, in the center of the roof, surrounded by the candles and flowers, sat a small round table topped with a snowy cloth. A few dishes covered in silver sat on the table, as well as a narrow crystal vase. Inside the vase was a single red rosebud.

Haku looked back at Naruto, who was watching his expression. "Do you like it?" Naruto asked anxiously.

"No one has ever done anything even _remotely_ like this for me," Haku breathed. "I love it! It's so romantic…" He turned to take in the scene again, eyes shining.

Naruto let out a relieved breath. His eyes ran over Haku, who was wearing a silver and plum kimono, with matching silver hair ornaments. "You look amazing, Haku."

Haku turned and took in Naruto's attire for the first time, eyes widening. "So do you…I've never seen you wear a kimono before. It looks good on you."

Naruto looked down at his kimono. Sakura and Ino had said the color was called sienna orange, and would bring out his eyes and hair better than his normal attire. "Thanks." Then he remembered his mission, and how he was supposed to conduct himself. He straightened his spine. "Haku, I'd like to apologize."

Haku faced him, giving his full attention with a quizzical tilt of his head. "Oh?"

"Yes." Naruto ducked his chin in nerves. "I want to apologize for putting someone else before you. You should have had my complete attention that night. I left you without an explanation, to go to someone who means nothing to me. To help him. You're the one I care about. The one I want to be with. I'm not going to let anything blind me to that ever again."

Haku felt his throat fill with emotion, even as his insides oozed together in a sudden deluge of heat. _He means nothing to him_. "Do you mean that?" he whispered.

"Every word." Naruto reached for Haku's fingertips and brought both of the smaller hands to his lips.

A violent blush suffused Haku's face at the caress. He had to lower his head in embarrassment and pleasure while he fought to breathe. "You'll stop focusing on Sasuke?"

"I haven't even seen Sasuke since that night," Naruto said against the trembling fingers. He pressed another soft kiss to them. "The only one I'll be focusing on is you. I swear."

"Oh," Haku said in a small voice; Naruto had just tugged him closer. "Naruto…"  
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If he didn't know better, Haku would have sworn that Naruto had taken kissing lessons from somewhere. The way his lips devoured with gentle insistence, coaxing his apart, was nothing short of masterful. He yielded at once, falling against that solid body, only to feel Naruto catch and hold him tightly. A thick hand pushed its way into his hair, dislodging the _kanzashi_ holding it in place, as Naruto's tongue made contact with his.

Naruto had no sense of time or place or anything but the soft and willing man in his arms. Unlike the last time he was on this roof, there were no nerves or hurt feelings hindering him. This time he knew what he was doing, and felt sure and commanding, as Sakura and Ino had lectured him a man _should_ be.

The feel of Haku's trembling body was beyond words. So warm and lithe. Somehow delicate, yet incredibly strong. And above all, eager. Haku's hands were in his hair, then on his shoulders, then pulling him close, and closer still. They stroked his face, the back of his neck, his bunched and quivering chest muscles, until Naruto felt an alarming tingle in his balls and knew he was about to shame himself.

He pulled back breathlessly, blinking down into Haku's dazed and reddened face. "Am I forgiven?" he managed huskily.

"Completely," Haku gasped.

"Do you…I mean, would you like to eat with me?" Naruto said next, struggling to remember all he was supposed to say.

"Well," Haku murmured, moistening his lips. "I wouldn't mind _you_ eating _me_ …or vice versa."

Naruto swung him up into his arms. Haku kissed him again.

-oOo-

There was a corner of the roof that was devoid of flowers and lit by a single ruby candle. A modest futon covered by luxuriant mink blankets filled this corner. When Naruto set Haku down and drew back the blankets, he revealed that the futon was also covered with a layer of pink and white rose petals.

Haku's hands flew to his mouth. He caught his breath with a small " _Ah!_ " of delight.

Naruto smiled now at Haku's bashfulness as he turned to undress him. The kimono and white under tunic slid to the roof with a whisper of silk. Haku's bowed head made his hair fall around most of his body, but Naruto looked his fill of the compact physique. Haku's erection was a bold statement of his arousal, one that made Naruto step back and slowly undo his own belt. When they were both nude, he held out a hand and led Haku to the futon.

Heightened as their nerves already were, the mink blanket only served to push them closer to the edge. Its soft silkiness was cool and sensual accompaniment to the hesitant caresses Naruto gave, and the equally shy touches Haku provided. The rose petals were like velvet kisses against their skin, making them sigh and hum. Beneath the blanket, where warmth and desire were quickly building, their nervousness gradually subsided.

The contact of skin on skin, of genitalia rubbing and grinding against each other, underlined the gravity of the moment. Haku's leg curved around Naruto's hip as they rolled so that Naruto was on top. There was a long, endless kiss of sweet surrender and possession, until Naruto broke it to land other kisses on Haku's jaw. He kissed his way down the taut throat, over the smooth shoulder, and down between the shallow valley of Haku's chest. His tongue danced over an erect nipple, making Haku gasp and arch sharply, before he sucked and nibbled over the quivering abs. Haku's excitement was a potent scent in his nostrils, mixing with the jasmine perfume he wore in a heady aroma. Naruto inhaled deeply, feeling his mind sizzle in anticipation, before letting it out on the rounded head of that pale cock. He glanced up at Haku, caught the brown eyes on his face, then lowered his head to the smooth shaft that just grazed his chin with its tip.

Haku's moan of pleasure was low, but so erotic that Naruto had to reach between his legs and grab hold of his own cock before he exploded. It had jumped powerfully, both at the sound and at his first taste of cock. Precum dribbled over his tongue. The sheer intimacy of what he was doing made him hungry for more; he sucked enthusiastically, if awkwardly, for a few moments until he got the hang of timing his mouth and head the right way. Haku bucked and writhed beneath his face, closing one strong hand tightly in his hair as he panted, and panted, and-

"I'm coming!"

Naruto debated swallowing a second too long and ended up doing so anyway. It was a rich, warm gush of spunk and salty goodness that lit him up with an intoxicating feeling of empowerment; he consumed it greedily. Haku had to push his head away with a wince, and even then he pushed back to give a last lick to that dripping slit.

But then Haku tugged him up by the shoulder, and looped both arms behind his neck. Another long, fragrant kiss. "I want you in me," Haku sighed when they broke apart.

Naruto thought his heart would melt, a singularly unnerving sensation. He remained where he was for several minutes, braced on his palms and staring at Haku's passion-glazed eyes.

Yes, he'd been focused on Sasuke. And for a while during those three days he'd had disturbing thoughts over the memory of his cologne, and how it had felt to hear he was jealous of Haku. But it was Haku he got excited to see, and Haku who's touch made him feel ten feet tall. Haku, who'd never rejected him. He wanted Haku with him forever. To be able to see his shy glances, and here him say _Naruto-kun_ , and feel those deadly hands turn gentle whenever they touched him. "I love you," he said quietly.

-oOo-

Haku's eyes widened. Joy, fierce and complete, shot through his system. He opened his mouth to respond in kind to this declaration, but Naruto was suddenly guiding himself with one hand, pushing forward against his unprepared entrance with no warning whatsoever, and what came out was a lusty yell of mixed pleasure and pain.

He had the presence of mind to relax his muscles, but by then Naruto was had all his weight behind the penetration. The tight squeeze left them both trembling. Naruto popped past his ring and slid in deeply….drew back slowly, and slid in all the way on a tortured groan. " _God_ , Haku…"

A few minutes went by with no movement. They each wheezed in the night, against each other's cheeks, until the sting lessened somewhat for one, and the urge to come had subsided for the other. When he felt he could manage it, Naruto struck up an unsteady pace of rocking back and forth.

Haku was patient. He wanted Naruto to go faster now that he didn't feel as if he were being split in two, but sensed this was all Naruto could do for now. He gave gentle encouragement with words and caressing, until Naruto was at last able to pull back and thrust into him properly. It was slow at first. Careful. Then Naruto's control expanded enough for him to go a bit faster, a bit harder. Haku lifted his other leg around the flexing hips, finally beginning to feel some stimulation at last. The way Naruto's hard stomach pressed rhythmically against his balls had his breath short and high. "Yes," he gasped. " _Yes!_ "

Whatever control Naruto had went out the window.

The breathless words had a knot of pure pleasure twisting in Naruto's gut so that he was suddenly mindless in his lust, in his desire. He adjusted his balance on his hands, giving himself better leverage, as he pounded his hips against Haku's ass. He was completely uncaring of if he came or not in the next second. Sex felt so incredibly good that he doubted he'd even feel it when it happened. He couldn't even _think_ , so swamped was he in desire. His arms shook with strain, until he finally had to lower himself to Haku's jerking body. The moment he did, a raging climax roared out of him, making him thrust harder four or five times, and his body shudder powerfully in Haku's grip.

And he was still hard.

He didn't even stop thrusting, pushing past the sudden fatigue to force himself onto his hands again. He was hungry, he realized, staring at Haku's slack features. Starving for this, famished for the feel of Haku's hot passage tightening around him, and his nails digging into his ass muscles, and the ragged way Haku moaned his name time and again. Hungry for the sharp tingle in his balls and at the base of his cock, for the feel of his heart galloping in his chest, and the wild knowledge that right here, in this moment, he was in charge and pleasuring someone he loved.

His body adapted the way it would when training. The fatigue slipped away to be replaced by a fresh wave of energy as he dug in and thrust harder. At one point, Haku reached up and brought his head down for yet another smoldering kiss, one that tempered his urgency somewhat. He allowed himself to be soothed from his headlong rush through pleasure, to be guided to gentler movements and longer strokes. He learned. Adjusted. Faltered sometimes, but rallied always to implement a new angle or position. Sometimes Haku showed him something that increased the pleasure for them both, or else he described what he wanted with words.

But Naruto didn't stop. Not for a long time that night.


	7. Chapter 7

 

 

 

Chapter 7

They watched the sun come up.

By then they'd been in a stationary position of repose for some time. Naruto, holding Haku closely from behind, watched the rays strike the flowers around them and thought he'd never felt more at peace. Haku was a nice warm weight against his front, his muscles were all rubbery with fatigue, and absolutely nothing troubled his mind. He couldn't remember the last time his brain had been so absent of activity. He felt as if he could stay there holding Haku forever.

That wasn't meant to be, of course. As the village came awake below them, Haku and Naruto rose amidst sheepish groans and tired giggles, to begin their own day. Once they'd made it to the barracks to shower and change, they slowly walked the dusty road out to the west sector, hand in hand.

"I hate to ask," Naruto said after while, face red. "But how was it?"

Haku turned his head to hide his smile. "Beyond words."

"Really!" Naruto crowed. "You mean that?"

"Your stamina is nothing short of prodigious. What you lacked in skill, you made up for in sheer endurance…and the skill was quickly acquired in any case. I feared I wouldn't be able to keep up," Haku murmured with a grin. "How was it for you?"

"Are you kidding me?" Naruto was getting his energy back, nearly bouncing as he walked. "A~ma~zing," he sang in a booming bellow. "Thought I'd die, it was so good."

"Yes…you seemed markedly more skilled than you originally let on."

"Ah…well…" Naruto averted his gaze. He didn't want to discuss how he'd had to practice so as not to embarrass himself. "Wanted to make sure you were pleased," he muttered.

Haku scrunched against Naruto's arm, nuzzling the bicep. "Don't worry. Anymore pleased and I might not have survived till morning."

* * *

Kiba waited around the site early that morning, wondering if he'd see Naruto. Sasuke and Haku had been MIA since the festival, but if Naruto had handled his business right last night, he'd either be late this morning or absent entirely. He heard giggling in the distance, and picked his chin up from where he'd been resting it on the handle of his shovel. There, ambling up the road in the sunlight, were Naruto and Haku.

"Well, well, _well_." He grinned brightly at the two lovers when they reached him. "Looks like people had action last night!"

Naruto released Haku reluctantly to catch the shovel tossed his way. "Shut up." But he was smiling.

Haku picked his shovel up with a blush, avoiding Kiba's gaze.

Kiba didn't let it go. While Haku began digging the next hole, he sidled up to where Naruto was mixing cement and stuck his shovel in. "You followed my advice?" he hissed out the side of his mouth.

Naruto peeked at Haku before answering, also in a hiss. "Bout the bed? Yeah. Followed the girls' advice too, with the flower petals and everything."

"Meant about the clones."

"Ugh, don't remind me." Practicing kissing and fucking with your clone was nowhere near as kinky as Kiba had made it sound. "But yeah. Paid off, too."

"What'd I tell you?" Kiba elbowed him hard. "Where'd you guys sleep after? Didn't see you come back to the barracks."

"Sleep?" Naruto frowned at the cement mixture. "What sleep? We, uh…showered about an hour ago and came straight here."

"You dog!" Kiba howled in admiration. He lowered his voice again instantly. "No wonder Haku smells all submissive."

Naruto threw a hard glance at Kiba. "Dude, why the hell are you so happy? S'like you get off on me getting laid more than I do. All this…this hyper-ness is totally unlike you."

"Can't help it," Kiba grinned. "My little Jinchuuriki is all grown up! Now all you need to do is-"

Haku stopped digging, which got Naruto's attention, until he saw what Haku was staring at. Kiba followed Naruto's gaze, so that all three of them were looking at where Sasuke was stalking onto the premises, a scowl of purest hatred on his face. His eyes were locked on Kiba.

Naruto noticed Sasuke's escort landing within hailing distance. That was something they'd never done before. Whenever Sasuke had been at the site, his escort had been close by, but out of sight. They took up positions now, postures tense.

Kiba straightened up as Sasuke marched up to him, looked him up and down with barely restrained violence, then flicked his eyes to Naruto. "Reporting for work," Sasuke bit out as he looked back at Kiba.

"Where ya been?" Kiba asked. His grin was wolfish and entirely too pleased for Naruto's peace of mind. It was like he _wanted_ to provoke Sasuke.

"Solitary confinement," Sasuke said. If looks could kill, Kiba would be dead a dozen times over. Sasuke's glare was potent with fury.

"Huh. Well," Kiba hefted his shovel. "Haku! Come do the cement with Naruto. Sasuke and I will finish digging the foundations there."

Haku, who'd been watching Naruto's reaction to Sasuke the entire time, was relieved at the way he was keeping his promise, and at the way Kiba separated them. He caught Kiba's conspiratorial wink, and smiled in return, hopping out of the ditch as he did.

-oOo-

To say the atmosphere was strained would have been putting it mildly. As the morning wore on, Sasuke performed his tasks with tight lips and the skin around his mouth white with rage.

Haku kept glancing between Sasuke and Naruto.

Naruto forced himself to keep his eyes on his work, or occasionally on Haku, if he wanted to tell him something.

Sasuke studiously ignored Kiba and switched to staring at Naruto and Haku, wondering at the new intimacy between their glances and touches.

Kiba sidled up to where Sasuke was hammering planks into place. "You seem tense, Uchiha. I can relieve that tension for you, just say the word."

"Touch me and you're dead," Sasuke snarled.

"Oh, I don't know," Kiba crooned. He deliberately moved closer, so that their elbows brushed together. "Seems like you got in trouble the other night. Got your hands tied. What'd you do, try to come after me?"

Sasuke turned to face him, ready to spew curses left and right, but Kiba was ready for him.

"Here's the deal," he said into those black eyes. They were nose to nose. "I'm legit interested in your ass. Just your ass. And I figure as long as you're looking over your shoulder, checking for me, you'll have less time to stalk my buddy there. Win-win sitch. Gimme the green light and I swear to God I will rock you so hard-"

The punch in Kiba's throat was delivered so quickly that he didn't see it coming. By the way Sasuke's escort continued to watch their charge, chances were they hadn't quite caught it either…which was interesting. If Sasuke was so far above his escort, why exactly was he consenting to it? Why _was_ he back in the village?

"Kiba-san," One of the agents called down to him. "Is there a problem?"

He'd been knocked to one knee with that blow, but Kiba stood up now and worked at not coughing. Sasuke was hammering away at his plank as if Kiba didn't even exist, obviously determined to behave as if he'd been doing so the whole time. "Fine!" Kiba rasped out. He lifted a hand for good measure. "I'm fine, no problem here."

When the agent had settled into his previous position, Kiba walked up behind Sasuke and leaned over his shoulder on the pretense of inspecting his work. "Try that again," he hissed in Sasuke's ear, "And I'll arrange things so that you and I are alone here, your escort be damned, _neh_? I'll make you my bitch, Uchiha. Think about that." Then, because the action would be hidden by his body, he reached down, hefted a handful of Sasuke's butt cheek, and squeezed it hard, making sure to dig his nails in good.

He slipped back before Sasuke could bring the hammer against his face, chuckling fit to burst. "Good job, Uchiha!" he said loud enough for the agents to hear. "Though, if you ever want some pointers on how to really hammer something, ask me and I'll be happy to show you. I'm real good at hammering."

He had to adjourn to the foreman's hut he rarely used, so hysterical was he after that. He could truthfully say that Sasuke was ready to kill him, and it did nothing but excite him all the more.

-oOo-

For a few minutes after he calmed down, he stood watching Sasuke from the window, and thinking of his behavior toward him. It was awful of him, and could be seen as sexual harassment, but dammit, Sasuke practically begged to be harassed. Guy was a grade A dickwad.

_Maybe I should tone it down a bit, though. Don't want to push him_ too _far._ If he went too far, he ran the risk of getting Sasuke thrown in jail for real, and there went this chances. Besides, this type of aggression wasn't like him. Normally, he and any other Inuzuka were mind-your-business-and-I'll-mind-mine types. Get an Inuzuka riled, though, or pique their interest sexually, and they became a totally different animal. Hunting. That's what his clan called it. An Inuzuka typically went after someone meek, unless the Inuzuka in question was female. He, however, tended to prefer other alphas. His interest had always been caught by the idea of dominating indomitable people.

The encounter with the Suna teen had more or less been spur of the moment. He'd never actually hunted for a potential mate, nor had the urge. He could recognize now that he _was_ being a bit too aggressive, even by his clan's standards.

A small smile graced his lips as he watched Sasuke glancing around. Probably making sure he wasn't sneaking up on him. Sasuke then contrived to place himself in the ditch with Naruto and Haku, helping them dig. Naruto turned so that his back was to Sasuke. Haku watched while trying to appear as if he wasn't.

Yes, a more subtle approach was definitely in order. Would throw Sasuke off balance even more, for one. For another, his own appetite would be whetted by the restraint, and thus be all the more potent when or if Sasuke succumbed. He couldn't wait for that moment.

* * *

Over the next few days, Naruto tried his best to live up to his promise of forgetting Sasuke once and for all. Kiba, bless his woolly head, actually made that easy for him. Thanks to him bugging Sasuke, Sasuke spent a lot of time looking over his shoulder, so to speak. The one time he'd caught Sasuke stalking him again, Kiba had shown up soon after. Not that Naruto had stuck around to see what had happened, but it seemed like a fight had been narrowly avoided. Since then, Sasuke was too busy dodging Kiba to really bother Naruto, which left him free and clear to enjoy the new dimension his relationship with Haku had taken.

And he enjoyed it often.

Their lunch hour typically found them secluded in some unfinished building or amongst the stacks of lumber at the training grounds, engaging in a quick, hot round of fucking, or some other sexual delight Haku cooked up. For all his demure ways, Haku was exceptionally well-versed in hedonism. Naruto came to associate those shy glances with dirty thoughts; seeing as he was peppered with those looks throughout their time at the construction site, it was no wonder he remained in a perpetual state of arousal. Kiba had even had the nerve to comment one afternoon on using Naruto's 'wood' to shore up the new wall he'd erected.

They hardly spent the night in the barracks anymore. No privacy. They used the same locations they did during their lunch breaks, or else found new ones, but the nights most definitely were not spent sleeping. It was a wonder they were able to work at all during the day, so exhausted were they. Sometimes a night would find them too tired to do anything _but_ go to the barracks and conk out. Those were the times Haku had to struggle to wake Naruto the next morning. Once or twice he'd been forced to go to the site alone, Naruto too fagged out to budge from his bunk. On those occasions, Kiba had taken one look at Haku's sheepish face and burst out laughing.

-oOo-

It was Konohamaru and Inari who broke this cycle. They stormed into the barracks one morning, several weeks after the festival, and found Haku turning away from a prostrate Naruto. Konohamaru took one look at Naruto's snoring face and brought his fist down on that blond head. "Oi! Boss!" Inari added his shout to Konohamaru's. "Boss!" they yelled.

"The fuck y'all want," Naruto groaned. He didn't even open his eyes.

The boys exchanged a fuming glance with each other, before bending down simultaneously and flipping Naruto's bunk completely over. Naruto surged up with a roar. Haku stepped back and watched from a distance.

Before he could launch himself at them, Konohamaru planted a foot on Naruto's chest and shoved him back to a sitting position. Naruto sprawled on his ass, eyes irate and bleary.

"What we _want_ is the mission you promised us," Konohamaru seethed. "You've missed three sessions altogether, and-"

"Four," Inari said quietly.

"Four, and we want our training!" Konohamaru removed his foot and stood back, arms crossed. Inari adopted his stance, not quite as brave as standing up to Naruto, but determined to back his new friend.

Naruto got to his feet. Scratched his head a moment. Yawned. Glanced at Haku. "When's our next day off?"

"In three days," Haku said.

"Fine," Naruto nodded around another yawn. "We'll train then. Be there early," he told the boys. They grinned. This changed to cries of pain when Naruto plowed each of his fists into their stomachs, doubling them over. "And you two ever wake me up like that again, I won't train you for _two_ months."

Haku watched them leave. When he turned to ask if Naruto would be ready to go soon, he found him crawling into the bunk next to his, and already going back to sleep.

* * *

As Naruto and Haku were making their hasty departure from the construction site a couple of evenings later, Kiba halted Sasuke from following suit. "Hang on, Uchiha." He waited till his friends were out of sight and Sasuke's escort understood that Sasuke wouldn't be leaving just yet. "Want to talk to you. About your work here at the site," he added for the benefit of Wolf, who'd drifted closer. Wolf checked himself and hung back.

Sasuke folded his arms, literally unable to look at Kiba without his hands itching to beat him bloody. Instead, he stared at the small stretch of ground separating them. "What."

Kiba lowered his voice. "No need to be irate; I've kept my pursuit to the bare minimum."

"You're stalking me."

"You have the nerve to complain? The way you stalk Naruto?"

Sasuke had the grace to shift his shoulders in agitation. "What do you want? If it's not to discuss work, then leave me alone." He turned to go.

Kiba put a hand on one muscular arm, halting Sasuke. Sasuke stiffened, as did his escort, but Kiba had already released him. "What I want," he said, lowering his voice even more, "is to know exactly what you want with Naruto. He told me you asked to be his friend, but…the way you watch him and shit? That's not friendly behavior."

Sasuke blinked, processing this. "So?" he cut his eyes at Kiba, not quite facing him, but looking at him anyway.

" _So_ , I want to know if you have romantic feelings for-"

Sasuke turned and began walking.

"All right, all right!" Kiba jogged a few steps to place himself in front of Sasuke. "But if you're not interested in him like that, then what the fuck are you interested in? Why is friendship with him so important that you need to stalk him and throw jealous looks at Haku every chance you get?"

Sasuke clenched the muscles in his jaw. He hated having to speak to Kiba about anything. Hated Kiba. Hated Naruto being with Haku, whom he now knew the idiot was fucking, and hated, more than anything else in creation, being back in Konoha. He was determined to remain silent until Kiba gave up, but of course he didn't give up. His escort was drifting closer, though, perhaps sensing trouble. If they could actually make themselves useful for once and help him end this conversation with Kiba, he would consider himself fortunate.

But Kiba sensed them approaching. He pulled out a folded blueprint from his back pocket and opened it. He even went so far as to stand beside Sasuke and point something out on it, as if showing him something. Sasuke looked down at Kiba's grimy finger automatically, peripherally aware that his escort had stopped again.

"It's like this," Kiba whispered. "If you're not interested in screwing Naruto, I don't see why you won't give me a chance. I know like-minded individuals when I smell them, so you can't tell me you're not into boys. Besides which, your scent smells ripe for a fuck. You reek of frustration and your little jack-off moments you think no one knows about. Granted, you could be working off the idle schedule the Hokage has you on…this type of relative inactivity has to chafe something fierce, but I'm betting you also want to get laid. Now. Unless you tell me you want Naruto and no one else, I'm going to step up my game here. You're a challenge, I freely admit that. I like a challenge. And I like the idea of fucking that butch ass of yours. Just give me a shot, man, that's all I'm asking. Not looking for love, or hand-holding, or anything like what Naruto and Haku seem to have. Straight fucking, nothing else. We don't even have to acknowledge each other when it's not happening. No one has to know but us."

Sasuke kept his eyes on the blueprint. He could hit Kiba maybe four or five times before Wolf even sensed a threat, and could have a Genjutsu swimming around the entire area long before that…but the magic words that stopped him were even now echoing in his brain: _No one has to know._

He _was_ frustrated. On many levels. True, he didn't think about fucking Naruto, but the fact that anyone thought he was didn't sit well with him. Especially if the one thinking that was Naruto himself. He didn't want Kiba either, but again, if it was just fucking…he didn't see how it would detract from his mission in the village. Might even clear his head a bit. And if the truth were known, the few minutes he was able to steal during his bathroom breaks wasn't helping much.

Still looking at the blueprint, he realized that the choices were simple: hurt Kiba or fuck him. He couldn't recall ever being presented with two options that were equally attractive… but then he remembered the way Kiba had laughed at him, the smug looks, the gloating grins, and there was really no choice at all. Pushing the blueprint aside, he began leaving a second time.

And when Kiba grabbed the back of his shirt, he finally snapped, spun, and punched him as hard as he could.

His escort was on him a second later. The last thing he heard before blacking out was Wolf's strained whisper: "That's another week in solitary for you, Uchiha. One more infraction and your probation is out the window for good."

* * *

A good twenty miles from the village walls, Naruto and Haku were putting the finishing touches on what would be tomorrow's mission for the boys. Haku stood back and surveyed the area critically. "I think the eastern quadrant could be better fortified, but all in all I think it's brilliant," he said.

Naruto dispatched a clone to see to that task. He then re-read the note in his hand. "Yosh. I think this is okay, what do you think?"

Haku also re-read the note, once it was handed to him. "Are you sure the middle part is clear? It could mean to go to the coordinates we prepped, but it could also mean to go down this line here." He looked at the map drawn on the back of the note, pointing. "In which case they'd be in uncharted territory."

Naruto rubbed his chin, thinking and staring at the map. Uncharted territory was basically parts of the forest he and Haku hadn't covered with the boys. Technically, there was no stretch of Fire Country unknown to ANBU and hunter-nin. "I'm going to leave it," he said after while. "If they get lost, it'll give them a chance to use their skills to get back on track."

"All right. If you're sure."

"Yup! I am." Naruto grinned. "Can't wait till they show up tomorrow. How long do you think it'll take them to complete?"

Haku carefully attached the note to the designated boulder before answering. "Konohamaru's impulsive. Inari's more cautious, less reckless. Together they should compliment the other. I say, factoring in delays and any mistakes they make, that they should be done in three to four hours. And it's already tomorrow. They should be here not long after dawn, which is only ninety minutes away. I-"

Naruto suddenly snatched him in for a hard embrace. "Means we got time to undergo a little mission of our own, _neh_?" Naruto said. He nipped Haku's cheek.

"I w-was wonder- oh! Wondering when you'd get around to that," Haku murmured.

Naruto released his neck, smirking at the hickie he'd left. Haku would need to wear his hair down to cover it. Then he glanced upward. "I don't think we've ever done it in a tree…"

-oOo-

Konohamaru and Inari crept onto the assigned meeting place twenty minutes before dawn. Silent and watchful though they were, they could detect no sign of their teachers. Inari pointed to the boulder in the clearing. He and Konohamaru approached it warily. It was K who picked up the note and read out loud. They flipped the piece of paper and studied the map. After a quiet high five, they were off.

Watching from two hundred feet up, Naruto and Haku grinned.

* * *

Wolf signed the form with the agent on duty in the solitary cells, then left. Sasuke's confinement meant a week off from being his security detail. He could do with a drink and forty straight hours of solid sleep. Too few people were elite enough to guard Uchiha, with the result that he and his two comrades often put in long hours.

-oOo-

Sasuke heard the bolts clang home on the reinforced steel. His chakra had been drained, as per the rules of solitary confinement, but other than that the cells were unoccupied. Two guards were on duty at the entrance to the underground rooms, but if things went according to plan, that wouldn't be a problem.

-oOo-

_Some hours ago…_

_When Kiba grabbed the back of his shirt, he finally snapped, spun, and punched him as hard as he could._

_His escort was on him a second later, but right before that, he'd dragged Kiba close and hissed,_ _"My escort will be a problem. This will have to happen in solitary, so get your ass over there before they finish doing the paperwork for my arrest."_

-oOo-

If Kiba was here, he was masked. He'd sensed no one as he passed the other cells, so it was likely his escort hadn't either. The cells' guards were negligible at best; the war had depleted Konoha's ranks of Jounin considerably. But then, Tsunade hardly needed experienced men to guard solitary; the steel was five feet thick. Without chakra, there was no way he'd be getting through his cell.

* * *

About an hour after dawn, as the guard shift was changing, Sasuke heard the bolt on his cell rasp back. Kiba slipped inside and closed the door behind himself. When he turned to face Sasuke, his face was lit with pride.

"Dude. This place is a fucking fort, you could have warned me."

Sasuke uncoiled from his cot. "What do you think solitary is? Took you long enough."

"Ballsy plan, though, gotta hand it to you." He grinned. "Figure we have a few hours before they give you your daily meal…." His eyebrows rose in a wicked question.

Sasuke closed the distance, fisted a hand in Kiba's shirt and slung him toward the bed.

Or at least, he tried to. Having his chakra drained didn't affect his physical strength, but Kiba caught his hand and had it twisted behind his back in a slick move. Sasuke excelled at Taijutsu as well, but Kiba had him shoved face first to the nearest wall barely a second later. By the time it registered that Kiba was actually stronger than he was, his surprise had been used against him. Kiba leaned down to his ear.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Seems you thought you were in charge, Uchiha. I'm going to take great pleasure in disabusing you of that notion. Spread 'em."

Sasuke remained still. "Fuck you."

"Not likely." Kiba kicked his legs apart for him.

It was all he could do not to yell in outrage at feeling his head yanked back by his hair. A moment later, he felt Kiba's hand begin undoing his pants with short, sharp tugs. Sasuke bucked hard, throwing Kiba back a few steps. He turned around angrily, but was brought up short by the sight of Kiba's face.

Kiba's fangs were bared. Sasuke had a brief thought that Kiba might bite him, but this was completely eclipsed by Kiba himself.

Though Chuunin, Kiba never wore the uniform. He could most often be found in a loose denim shirt and construction pants. In the brief time Sasuke's back had been to him, Kiba had managed to remove his shirt and undo the top button of his pants. The image he presented was so far from what Sasuke thought he knew of Kiba that all he could do was stare, mind blank, as odd details caught his attention.

The denim shirt had hidden just how wide Kiba's shoulders were, and how ropey with muscle his arms were. Likewise, the thickness of his neck had been covered by the shirt's collar. Kiba's physique wasn't bull-like, but it was more substantial than Sasuke's, and that much was noted immediately. Then there was the way Kiba stood, hands down, head lowered, teeth bared, and feet placed wide apart. Like he hadn't cared for the way Sasuke had shoved him just now. Like he meant business.

It occurred to Sasuke that he was alone in the room with this person, no chakra, and no hope for escape without the risk of being incarcerated permanently. Suddenly, agreeing to meet Kiba here didn't seem like such a good idea. Kiba clearly had erroneous notions regarding their arrangement, and he himself was currently unable to light so much as a match in his defense. His eyes slid to the unlocked cell door.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you."

Kiba's voice was a soft rasp that abraded Sasuke's nerves unpleasantly. His skin humped up into gooseflesh."I've changed my mind," he said. It disgusted him the way Kiba's measured step in his direction made him take an automatic step back. He resolved to stand his ground, jail or no jail. "Get out."

"Get out, he says." Kiba continued to stroll in his direction, voice still hissing through the dank air. He paused when he was a foot from Sasuke, and just stood there, looking at the alert black eyes, and the tightly compressed lips. "You smell scared, Uchiha."

"I said-"

Kiba's hand landed with devastating gentleness directly on Sasuke's crotch. It squeezed, just as gently, so that Sasuke's mouth continued to move, but no sound came out. "What was that?" Kiba asked.

Sasuke clamped a hand over Kiba's, but Kiba's hand tightened imperceptibly. He rolled his balls, massaged them, and thus leeched all the strength out of him. Sasuke brought his other hand swinging in a hard and fast punch, only to have that wrist grabbed and pinned to the wall. He lifted a leg to kick, and Kiba's knee came up smoothly to insert itself between his now-parted legs. It settled with a dull impact under his balls and continued to rise, lifting him to his toes.

There was suddenly no air in the room. That knee rocked against him. In a confusion of heat and fury, he was dimly aware of fighting Kiba, of being too weak to be effectual, of being embarrassed and shamed to his core...and of Kiba's entire body coming to rest against his. Amidst the sudden lethargy that followed this unthinkable contact, he realized that all of that had happened and he'd never been released from the wall. That knee hadn't budged one inch. And he was panting.

Kiba's face was near his, his breath hot on humid. "What," he smiled. "No more fight, Uchiha?"

Seeing those teeth, and feeling his wrists pinned above his head, something in Sasuke's gut turned over with a terrifying lurch. _This isn't happening,_ he tried to say. But Kiba was kissing him hard. For a minute, maybe two, he could feel those claws digging into his wrists as he struggled to be released. But then Kiba let go of one wrist to plunge his hand down the front of his pants. Sasuke felt himself handled roughly, and his entire body shuddered in need. His hands were sliding down the wall now. One closed behind the muscled nape of Kiba's neck and furiously dragged him closer, deepening the kiss.

Kiba pulled back with an effort, to lean his forehead against Sasuke's. He was pleased to feel the callused palm on his neck, as well as the other hand clamped hard in his hair. When his breathing was under control, he stepped back and adjusted his aching cock.

Sasuke stared at him murderously. "What the fu-"

"Patience, Uchiha." He zipped his pants up with a little hop, and ran a hand through his hair. "You've got a week here. I'm thinking now that I'd like to take my time with you. Now that I don't have to actually hunt you anymore, I can do that. Draw things out. Make it last." He gave a slow grin. "Drive you wild, in other words. Look how hot you are for me now, and just this morning you were drooling for my blood. Imagine how much you'll beg me to fuck you once I show you how smooth I can be. I'm not all beast, Uchiha." He walked to the door and paused at it, glancing back at Sasuke's incredulous face. "See you tomorrow night." The door eased shut, then clanked as it was locked from outside.

Sasuke silently promised himself that the next time he saw Kiba's face, he would kill him.

 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Sunlight caught in a stray bead of sweat as it rolled over one bronze shoulder. Small as it was, it seemed to embody all the beauty and intimacy of the moment.

Haku stared at it as Naruto entered him yet again. His ass was slick with sweat and cum; the penetration shivered along his nerve-endings deliciously. Weak in every limb, he arched on a sigh of sharp pleasure. Naruto, letting out an answering sigh, settled onto him, now sheathed to the hilt. Haku leaned up and licked the drop of sweat away, then lingered to suck softly on the shoulder as well.

His lover hummed at him, eyes half-closed and hazy with desire. For a while, he stared up into those blue eyes, made light by the sun, and felt Naruto pulsing deeply within him. Even without movement, the excitement climbed in Haku. It made his heart stutter, and his chest rise and fall. _Those eyes_. They did it to him every time. Made him hard. Made his balls tighten until, when Naruto finally began moving, Haku was holding back his climax with an effort.

The sun warmed him nearly as well as Naruto's attentions did, the way it bathed their patch of grass. Letting his head fall back against Naruto's forearm, he gave himself up to the sensory input all around him. The heat of the day, and the cool, soft grass. The gentle breeze, and the music of birds and insects. Above all, the sound of Naruto's breathing, the feel of his arms around him, and his body inside him.

He had to close his eyes, it was so good. The smell of Naruto's skin was all over him, surrounding him in its unique aroma. He'd come to associate Naruto's scent with the steamy kisses, harsh breathing, and wonderfully rough caresses that marked his love-making. He had only to catch a whiff of it on the wind, and he'd be hard and panting.

And now, beset with Naruto's tight thrusts, his entire body jarred again and again, and with the feel of Naruto's bunched back muscles beneath his hands, Haku thought this was as close to Paradise as anyone could get. This was perfection: Naruto loving him with increasing ferocity, all youthful ardor and eagerness.

-oOo-

Seeing Haku's impending climax, Naruto leaned up and slowed his pace. A lazy smile stretched his lips. "Good?"

" _Mmmm_." Haku's cat-like smile said it all.

Naruto dropped a sweaty kiss on his lips. "Love you," he whispered.

He rode out the sudden frenzy of shudders and sighs those words brought out of Haku, before gradually speeding up again to find his own release. Right before he did, Haku's nails raked four long furrows down his back; he collapsed with a small yelp, utterly spent.

Haku spent a few moments rubbing his hands up and down the length of Naruto's back. He loved this time afterward, when Naruto's body was a crushing weight, and his ass was sore and full of warmth. He waited until Naruto was almost asleep, before nuzzling his ear. "More, please…"

* * *

After, when they lay sweaty and gasping, Haku rolled to an elbow and tiredly propped his head on a hand. He studied what he could see of Naruto's face for several blissful moments; Naruto had the back of one wrist over his eyes. This close, the smattering of faint freckles across the bridge of Naruto's nose was visible, as were the white-blond hairs on his upper lip. The lips themselves were an inviting pink, chiseled, and infinitely kissable. Haku leaned down and indulged himself.

"Hehe." Naruto sighed around a smile. "Four times this morning. You can't want another round just yet? _Dude_ …"

Haku laughed. "No, not yet." He bit his lip, debating on whether or not to say anything. "Naruto?" He'd long since dropped the honorific now that they were intimate.

"Mhm?"

"How would you feel about me staying in the village?"

Naruto didn't answer immediately. He was completely still in his exhaustion, one hand resting on his bare chest, the other still over his eyes, but Haku sensed that he was wide awake and thinking. "Permanently?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. Otan-san and his wife have petitioned the Hokage for citizenship. For me as well."

"I see. I think you know I'd be really happy about that." There was puzzlement in his voice now.

"Really? Because…I was sort of wondering what we are."

"What we _are_?"

"Well, yes. I know that Kiba-san seems to be the only one to really know about us-"

"And Sakura. Ino. They won't tell, though."

"Right. And I know that we've avoided labels and such…but I was wondering, you know. What we are to each other."

Now Naruto dragged his hand away from his eyes to turn his head. He squinted at Haku in the sunlight, brows knit in confusion. "I don't get it."

Haku swallowed. "Am I your boyfriend? Are we dating? I know we're lovers, but-" He broke off as the frown smoothed out and Naruto pointedly put his hand back over his eyes. He watched the muscle in Naruto's jaw flex with an answering knot of discomfort in his belly. "I know you're a very private person," he ventured when a minute had passed.

"Is this something you need?" Naruto said. "To have it spelled out?"

Haku ducked his head. He wished he'd never brought the subject up. "Yes."

There was silence for what seemed like a long time. "I don't know if I'm ready for all that," Naruto said at last.

"Why not?"

"Why do you need to have it stated before the whole world? I love you, you love me, we fuck all the time. What do you need beyond that?"

_Security_. _To know that I have a hold on your heart_. "I would just like to be able to say that you're my boyfriend. To have our relationship defined."

Naruto drummed his fingertips on his chest, thinking.

This had to be something that was understood by people who dated, he concluded. After all, Sakura and Ino repeatedly asked him if he and Haku were full on boyfriends yet. Come to think of it, Kiba had made a comment not too long ago. He'd been watching Haku lift a stack of lumber, and marveling at how such a slight man could be so strong. "I don't get what you see in him, personally," Kiba had said. "He's way too girly and pretty for me, but I see other guys around the village checking him out, so you must have good taste. Don't worry, though. It might not be official that you and he are an item, but I can smell how well he's marked. I'll chase the other hounds away, if you want."

He'd been shocked at the feeling of jealousy Kiba's information had called up, as well as touched that his friend would do that for him. To chase the other guys way himself would have called attention to him and Haku, and so far no one seemed to really notice how often he and Haku disappeared to be alone.

Still, it wasn't just that he liked to keep his business in his own backyard; labels felt…binding. They brought all manner of things into the relationship that Naruto was privately too unprepared for. Such as the possibility that once they _were_ established as a couple, and all the obligations that entailed were shouldered, Haku might leave. As much as he loved Haku, he didn't think he could take that, not after years of Sasuke. Labels made everything more serious, and thus more painful should things get screwed.

_But he's staying in the village._

"I need to think about it," he hedged finally.

"What is there to think about? If we love each other-"

"Haku. I said I'd think about it. C'mon man, gimme a break. You just sprang this on me, let me digest it a couple days."

But Haku proved to be as shrewd as ever. "Is it Sasuke? All the rejection you received at his hands?"

Naruto slowly uncovered his eyes to look at him again, then propped himself on his elbows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Haku paused. "Nothing." He turned over to lie down and sleep. "Please forget I brought this up. I'm sorry."

He didn't _sound_ sorry, Naruto thought as he stared at Haku's back. When it became clear that no more would be said, he flopped back down and moodily stared at the canopy of leaves.

Why did everything always come back to Sasuke? He'd thought that he and Haku were doing good. They were completely into each other, with next to no interference from Sasuke now. He'd kept his promise, too, about not paying Sasuke any attention. Hard for him to, anyway, seeing as how Kiba dogged Sasuke's steps so much.

Kiba was being extra diligent in pursuing Sasuke, if the truth were known. Naruto hadn't failed to notice that, or how in Sasuke's face Kiba was at the site. Sasuke's attention was completely diverted now. _I should be grateful_ , Naruto thought. After all, Kiba's intervention gave Naruto the time and opportunity he needed to be with Haku the way he wanted to be. He _should_ be happy.

But it hurt.

Naruto snuck a guilty glance at Haku's back.

Apparently his resentment over Sasuke had shown. He'd thought he'd kept that truth to himself, but Kiba chasing Sasuke hurt a lot. _No one_ chased Sasuke but him. Naruto. That was it. Sakura had for a while, but she'd given up, and then it had just been him and Sasuke. Any diversion from that dynamic just felt wrong. He could appreciate how fucked it was for him to hate Sasuke being back, hate the way he'd stalked him, and still be jealous when someone else inserted themselves into the equation. He could. But that didn't make it hurt any less.

And as usual whenever he thought of Sasuke these days, he kept coming back to that offer of friendship. He thought more and more about accepting it, and thus re-directing Sasuke's attentions, and _that_ never failed to make him feel like the worst shit ever. Haku didn't deserve that. But _he_ couldn't seem to help how he felt.

_Boyfriend? Yeah, right. I'm not even a good friend._

* * *

They slept.

When they woke, it was to find the sun past its zenith, and the forest completely still. No sound entered the shadowed clearing, and the breeze had become more in keeping with what one would expect of that time of year. These things by themselves weren't cause for alarm, but Haku sat up immediately, senses on high alert. "Naruto."

"Muh." He was always slower to come around once he'd been deeply asleep.

Haku looked around, frowning. "The boys aren't back. Something feels…off."

Naruto spent another few seconds smacking his lips and rubbing his eyes…until his senses finally snapped to full alertness. He was on his feet that fast, head swiveling as he took in the clearing as well. His brows lowered. "Could they have come back and seen us, then left?"

Haku got to his feet, pulling on his kimono. "I don't know. I'd think they'd want to claim their reward for completing the mission, don't you?"

Naruto glanced at the tiny chest of money, weapons, and other goodies he and Haku had collected as the reward. "Yeah." Then he looked at Haku. "Three clones each?"

Haku nodded.

"Hey," Naruto said as Haku placed his hands in preparation for the seal. "We good?"

The stern expression on Haku's face softened. "Of course."

"You sure? I mean…I meant what I said about thinking it over. I've never had a boyfriend, or been someone's boyfriend, and-"

"Naruto, it's all right. Let's just find the boys. We can discuss this later."

"All right."

Their clones appeared with a _poof_ , and spread out with the originals to begin searching.

* * *

"What is that?" Inari asked in a small voice.

"I don't know." Konohamaru shivered at the deep humming sound. It sounded as if it was coming from below the ground, and it set their very bones to vibrating.

The sun was setting. They'd been lost for hours now. Worse, they had no idea how to get back to their starting point. They'd tried everything, from retracing their steps, to sending clones out to scout for them, with the result that they were now exhausted, and scared to boot.

The first part of the mission had gone fine. They'd encountered the obstacles they'd been expecting to, but they'd also used up most of their chakra in their battle excitement. And they'd lost most of their weapons.

This part of the forest they were in was dark with foliage and shadows, but sparse of trees. A sea of ferns reached waist high on them, the leaves of which trembled with that unearthly hum. Compounding the spookiness of their surroundings was a low, thick mist that obscured just about everything. The air was a greyish green haze. The odd ray of weak sunlight lanced through isolated gaps in the haze, so there was _some_ illumination, but it wasn't much. And it wasn't enough to dispel the mist, not setting as the sun was. They shivered.

"Wish we had the map," Inari said shakily.

Konohamaru nodded. The map had been toasted in a stray _katon_ he'd thrown to get them out of a pinch. At the time, it had seemed like a worthy sacrifice. They'd operated since then on what he could remember of the note and the map. He was grateful that Inari chose not to blame him for their current predicament, but he already blamed himself. "I should have been more careful with it. We're fucked without it. Got no clue where the hell we are."

"I keep saying we're miles and miles southwest of the village, but you won't listen," Inari quavered.

"Because there's no way you can know that from a goddamn _tree_."

"I do so know," Inari insisted, but Konohamaru wasn't listening. He never listened. He thought that just because he was ranked, and had studied with real ninja, and had seen battle, that he knew all there was to know about everything under the sun.

It was a simple thing to notice that the larger trees surrounding the village were a species of hardwood. He couldn't be sure of the type, because they'd essentially been created by the First Hokage, but he knew they didn't reproduce with flowers. The trees they'd been passing for the past couple of hours were softwood. Any carpenter worth his tools could see that. And seeing that he'd spent several months handling the various woods that came through Konoha, he could also say, with certainty, that the nearest batch of softwoods was in a section of swampy land about 40 miles southwest of the village. If he had a proper map, he could show K exactly where they were, but when he tried to draw one in the dirt, K had gotten impatient and rubbed it out with his foot. "We need to keep moving," he'd said. Inari had given up then, and tried to hope for the best.

The humming escalated to a high-pitched whine just then, setting their teeth on edge, before settling back to a low throb.

Inari wiped sweat off his brow, and used the action to discreetly remove the evidence of his tears. This situation wouldn't scare him half as bad if Boss or Haku were with them, but all he had was Konohamaru. Stupid, arrogant K, and _his_ hands were shaking just as bad as his own were, he saw.

They needed control of the situation, Konohamaru reasoned. He stared west, at where the forest seemed to be pitch black despite the fact that it was still more or less day. The ground dipped in that direction, as if there was a large crater there. The hum seemed to come from this dark depression. He was torn by a sudden desire to investigate, and the equally strong urge to run in the opposite direction. "You think maybe that sound is from people?" he asked at length. "Some kind of machine they made?"

Inari caught on quickly. "Maybe. And maybe someone there can tell us how to get back."

Konohamaru chewed his lip. Swallowed painfully. Carefully looked around in a circle to make sure there was no alternative, no other person they could ask. "Worth a shot, I guess. C'mon." He really didn't want to go towards that sound.

One boy's sweaty hand groped for the other's and found it ready and waiting. Thus united, they crept westward.

* * *

A small grunt left Sasuke as he came a third time in the wadded-up denim that was Kiba's shirt. When the last spurt had left him, and he'd suffered through the final shudder, he brought the material to his face and viciously spat into it for good measure. Then he threw it on the floor, and repeatedly wiped his shoes on it. Done, he dropped himself onto his cot.

Since Kiba had walked out, Sasuke had fumed in silence. The needs that dog-faced bastard had left him with tempted him to let loose a stream of insults, but there was no one to hear. Besides, keeping the words inside made him feel as if he was in control. No, he didn't break the silence by so much as a word, but he stared at the ceiling and mentally outlined Kiba's crimes.

The list was long, beginning with the way he hadn't had a moment's peace in weeks. He counted out the many unsolicited touches, insults given, and implications made. The worst, though, the very worst thing was the way Kiba had all but led Sasuke to incarcerate himself under the false belief that they would fuck. That fang-faced, dog-breath motherfucker had played him.

That. That was utterly and completely unforgivable.

He would see Kiba dead for it. In fact, he was so enraged that he could feel a tiny trickle of his chakra returning. His pathways were likely openings as a result of his fury. Orochimaru had done some research into the theory that high adrenaline levels could reverse chakra damage or impairment.

A tight smile graced Sasuke's lips. _Perfect._ When next Kiba came sniffing, he'd have a little surprise waiting for him; he wasn't scheduled to have his chakra drained again until morning. At this rate, he'd be at full strength in a few hours.

He could not imagine what he'd been thinking, to allow the beast the hope of touching him. Of topping him. He had never let frustration rule him before-

An image of himself leaving the village to meet with Orochimaru's Sound Four came to him.

Right. Well. That had been a lot more than frustration. The point was that his situation now could have been avoided somehow, he was sure of it. Despite his ANBU detail, and Naruto's behavior, and Kiba's effrontery, Sasuke was sure that had he bent his mind to the task properly, all would have been solved to his satisfaction. But no, he'd been too eager to use Kiba's body to think at all. Ridiculous.

Remembering the scene with Kiba only a few hours ago, Sasuke felt his muscles tighten. Words could not begin to express just how…how… The bastard had thought to dominate _him_.

But as he thought, he was also forced to remember the tiny shred of pleasure he'd felt. _More than a shred,_ a sly voice insisted.

He had to close his eyes as the memory of how hot and supple Kiba's mouth had been washed over him. Bastard he might be, but the ass could kiss. And that hand, the one Kiba had shoved down his pants… Truth be told, he'd never been with anyone so forceful. Juugo had been bigger, but incredibly submissive, and Suigetsu was Suigetsu; an ant could dominate that freak. These had been the only options available to him and he'd made good use of them.

Kiba was unlike them in every way possible. And the tiny flutter of pleasure the memory of Kiba's assault called up now suggested that were things different, he would allow the ass his way. He'd submit. The anticipation this realization called up was unthinkable. A minute passed as Sasuke marveled at how disconnected this sneaky pleasure was from the rage he felt.

That was neither here nor there, though, because he'd had it. Had enough of Naruto's shit, of Kiba, and this village. All of it. He'd have to act tonight, when his chakra was fully returned. Kiba would come, he'd finish him (his shame alone at being bested so thoroughly demanded it), then move directly to the real reason for why he'd come back in the first place.

And then he would leave. Disappear permanently.

He wondered if Naruto would have something to say about that. The blond had certainly had something to say about the last time he'd left the village.

A bark of laughter was startled out of Sasuke at the size of that understatement. Surprised, he wonderingly touched his fingertips to his mouth; he hadn't known what his own laugh sounded like. In fact, he couldn't remember doing it since before his family had died. He traced the lingering smile on his lips for a while, bemused.

Then his smile faded. Naruto hated him. Now that his time in the village was coming to an end, Sasuke looked back on the months he'd spent here and frowned. If he'd been serious about befriending Naruto, why had he gone out of his way to annoy him? Why hadn't he just walked up to him and said what he had to say? Was he so prideful that he couldn't apologize, even if only to Naruto? The heat suffusing his face suggested that he was. Prideful and…embarrassed. It wasn't in him to show humility. Besides which, he'd already concluded that he wasn't sorry for his actions. _But you could apologize for treating him like shit…_

True.

Thoughts of Naruto led to other thoughts. Unbidden, Kiba's words came to him. Of how his stalking of Naruto wasn't friendly behavior. Kiba had also commented on why he appeared jealous of Haku. He _was_ jealous, that much he'd already admitted to himself, but in light of the comment about unfriendly behavior, Sasuke took the time now to pick apart his reasons for feeling that way. Not like he had anything else to do.

It was awhile before it dawned on him that he wasn't jealous of anyone else in Naruto's life. But then, no one else in Naruto's life was a love interest. Frown slowly deepening, Sasuke stared hard at the smooth surface of the steel ceiling. Kiba's remark about having romantic feelings for Naruto and wanting to fuck him also came rushing back. Back then, he'd had the sure thought that he didn't have romantic feelings, and didn't want to fuck Naruto. Alone now, with no one's bullshit distracting him, and already admitting other things to himself, it was as if a layer of self-delusion peeled itself away from his mind. It allowed him to see things he'd never really cared to discover.

And having discovered them, he was reminded of _why_ he hadn't cared to know this particular truth about himself. He had no time or inclination for entanglements. Period. But Naruto…

_Do you love him?_

After many minutes, Sasuke concluded that he didn't. That was somehow…a relief. And yet it also made him feel a twinge of regret. It would have been nice to discover that he had the ability to love, but the cold hard fact of it was that the only love he was ever likely to feel in his life was what he felt for his brother. And Itachi was dead.

No, he didn't love Naruto, but he was very aware of how thoroughly he'd monopolized Naruto's attentions to date. He just preferred that Naruto be obsessed with him, than with anyone else. Did he have a reason for such lunacy? No, he thought, nor was he ashamed to admit it. Something about being Naruto's focus made him feel validated, and that was that.

_That's not good enough._

Sasuke considered this. Not validated, no. Wanted. Bereft of family, soon to be devoid of purpose, and incapable of love, it came to him that having Naruto's obsession was as close as he would get to any of those things. He would be alone in the world, adrift. He could take comfort in knowing that someone, somewhere, still thought of him and wanted him in some way. Maybe he didn't love Naruto or want to fuck him, but he definitely _wanted_ him.

And maybe he wanted to be his friend for reasons other than wanting to honor Itachi.

He would take that knowledge to the grave, of course. And continue to deny wanting or needing Naruto to the idiot's face should the topic ever come up.

* * *

Though they'd started looking for the boys in early afternoon, it wasn't until the sun was setting that Naruto remembered the part of the note that Haku had felt was too vague. Berating himself now for not following his advice about changing it, Naruto switched directions. He landed on the bole of a tree, flipped, and pointed himself due west.

* * *

Inari and Konohamaru clung to each other at reaching the crest of land that preceded the dip. What they found was a large hollow that seemed devoid of anything but slowly swirling mist and the hum. This close, they could feel it throbbing through their bodies like a second heartbeat. It was rhythmic, lulling. They drifted closer, sliding down the side of the hollow, without even realizing it. It seemed that the closer they went, the louder that humming throb became, until it was all they were aware of.

The mist surrounded them as they reached the bottom of the hollow. It seemed that the sun set at the same moment that this happened, so that all was dark and cold. Konohamaru used what little chakra he had left to light a small branch. Using this makeshift torch, he looked around.

For long moments all they saw was the mist. Everything was one shade of grey or another, and the hum was like a low pound that shuddered their bodies in time with it. Then, though visibility was limited, Konohamaru found the source.

It appeared to be a large, fleshy oval several feet long. It looked like an egg, only it was black instead of white. It throbbed and quivered, and seemed to give off black tendrils of raw energy that undulated in the air in odd counterpoint to the humming. These went still as soon as Konohamaru spotted them…and then they began stretching forward to meet him.

_Uh oh,_ Konohamaru thought wildly.

But that was when he became aware that the humming had now paralyzed him. Lulled into a stupor, he heard Inari whimper behind him, and guessed he'd come to the same conclusion: they were fucked.

The tendrils seemed sentient, which would mean the thing they came from was too. Konohamaru struggled to move, straining against the hypnotic beat of that hum. He could feel himself becoming drowsy. It was like trying to think through syrup, if such a thing was possible. His mind grew sluggish, his breathing slowed down. It seemed nothing he did could dispel the lethargy creeping over him. He dropped to his knees along with Inari, as those black tendrils ghosted up to his face.

A crash sounded next to him. Neither boy had the energy or the will to turn and look, but the light that emanated from Naruto's chakra blazed in the hollow. The slow, ponderous hum that had lured the boys in switched abruptly to high-pitched shrieking.

It was like being dunked in ice water. Konohamaru and Inari's senses crashed back to an awareness of their surroundings as the paralysis broke. The adrenaline their bodies had been trying to incorporate flooded them, made them cry out at last, but by then several things were already happening.

Whatever that quivering egg thing was, it now focused completely on Naruto as if it recognized him. The tendrils all went stiff as that shriek went on and on, almost loud enough to make their ears bleed. Then they rushed toward Naruto.

They were fast. So fast that Konohamaru blinked and almost didn't see them. Naruto dodged, but was caught by an ankle by one tendril. As Konohamaru registered that the tendrils had enough substance to actually _grab_ things, the others swarmed over Naruto's thrashing body and tore him apart.

Inari screamed.

_No,_ Konohamaru thought. He was in a complete panic now, scrabbling up the side of that hollow as fast as he could, with Inari on hot his heels, but he'd caught the faint _poof_ that meant a clone had been dispersed. Even as relief cramped his guts, fear drowned the relief, because those tendrils were coming after him and his hands and feet kept slipping on moldy leaves.

_A clone,_ Konohamaru thought, gritting his teeth as he slid yet again _. A clone means Boss knows where we are now and will come get us. By all the gods of Heaven and Hell, let him come quick_ , Konohamaru prayed.

Something grabbed the back of his shirt, and he added his scream to Inari's.

* * *

Information from a clone slammed through Naruto hard enough to have him miss his landing. He dropped heavily to all fours on the forest floor, panting. The images faded. He could feel the adrenaline and alarm transferred by the clone rocketing through him; the boys were in deadly trouble.

He didn't have time to analyze what he'd been given. Instead, he wasted what felt like precious time figuring out how to contact Haku and have him meet him at the boys' location in the least amount of time.

Toad.

He'd never devised a jutsu from scratch in his life, and was not in the habit of altering the jutsu he did know. Moves, yes. Ninjutsu, never. Yet such was his desperation that a plan for one took shape in his mind.

Summoning was the only form of space-time manipulation that he knew. Calling the seals up on the fly, Naruto summoned two toads. One was to reverse-transport him to Konohamaru, who now had a contract with the toads. Without that contract what he was doing probably wouldn't even be possible. The other toad he sent to Haku, which would then hopefully bring him to Naruto in the same manner. Both toads and Naruto disappeared a moment later in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

It had only been Inari's hand that grabbed him. Kid was falling, had grabbed him, and now they were both slipping toward where those tendrils were now joining together to form a single thick limb. "Climb!" Konahamaru screamed.

"I can't… _K!_ " Inari was grabbed around the waist by that black arm and yanked backward. "Help me!"

Konohamaru made a grab for him. He caught his sweaty hand, felt his grip slipping, and desperately tried to call up his chakra. Anything. Even a trickle would have been welcome at this point.

Inari was pulled out of his grasp, swung high into the air, then thrown down on top of him. Konohamaru tried to catch him, but only succeeded in leaving himself open for a stunning burst of pain. Bright sparks went off behind his lids and his world condensed around him, canceling out the noise and confusion, as he neared a faint. He both felt and heard something in his chest crack as a fountain of blood rose up the back of his throat. It splattered out of him on his choked scream. Inari was unconscious, he saw.

That arm narrowed itself to a point. It reared up above them, as Konohamaru weakly coughed in agony. Every breath was a stab of pain, and Inari wasn't moving. The arm hovered, the tip curved toward them as if seeing them, and Konohamaru knew what was coming before it drove downward at him. He closed his eyes, and hoped it would be quick. At the last second, he groped for Inari's hand, where it lay limply across his stomach.

There was a sound. A popping sound, followed by a grunt of pain, but the pain wasn't his. Konohamaru opened his eyes to find Naruto crouched over him.

The end of the tendril protruded from his chest.

" _Boss-!_ "

Naruto grimaced. "Go…" His eyes shifted upward, toward the top of the hollow, where Konohamaru heard a faint _poof_ over the renewed sound of the egg's shrieking. A moment later, Haku slid down beside them. His face was white, but his eyes and hands were steady as he gently lifted him and Inari each beneath an arm.

"Boss," Konohamaru cried. "Boss, you're hur-"

"Take them away from here," Naruto said over him. He was already straightening up, trying to turn, to get that black arm out of him. Konohamaru only had eyes for the steady stream of blood dripping from his boss's mouth, and for how drained he looked. He felt Haku nodding.

"Naruto," Haku said. His eyes traveled over the malignant oval, the arm, everything. "I can send them with a clone-"

"No." Naruto choked back another mouthful of blood. "They're hurt. A clone might encounter something else out here and get d-dispelled. They'd be alone…defenseless. Make sure-" A shudder wracked him, and his chakra mode blinked out. Naruto sagged to his knees, and that was all Konohamaru saw. Haku whirled and was zipping away so fast that he only had time to scream his boss's name once more before they were out of sight.

"I can't stop. The sooner I get you to the village, the sooner I can come back and help him," Haku muttered when Konohamaru beat a weak hand against his chest. "I don't want to leave him anymore than you do, but he's strong. I know he is. Trust him."

Konohamaru dissolved into tears. Haku moved faster, undaunted by the weight of either boy.

* * *

Naruto had to shake his head to clear it. He could see, but his vision was fading in and out. The thing in his torso throbbed rhythmically, and each time it did, his body reacted, and his vision and hearing dimmed. _Haku will see them safe,_ he thought. Thank God one of his clones had already been looking down this path for the boys before he remembered to do so himself, or he might not have made it in time. As it was…

The shrieking. His head felt like it weighed a ton, but he managed to lift it and squint toward that roundish shape emitting it. His bones trembled with it.

He had no idea what that thing was, but it was siphoning off his chakra at an alarming rate, he could see. What chakra remained to him struggled against the intrusion of that black arm, trying to repair the damage done to his body, but it was no use. And now that he was looking, he could see the way the egg was feeding off him. Both it and the arm were growing lighter, infused with his power, so that now they were a mottled brown, with faint patches of yellow, instead of black. Try as he might, and his will was enormous, he could not pull that thing out of him, or stop it from sucking him dry.

It was killing him.

A roar left him as he tried to call up enough chakra for a clone. _Rasengan_ could be used to sever the tendril in him, but he didn't even have enough chakra for that. Something so simple as a clone, a move he could do in his sleep, with hardly more effort than it took to breathe, was beyond him now.

_Shouldn't have let it touch me._

That had been unavoidable. At the time, he'd known that a clone wouldn't have been an acceptable obstacle, and there had been no time for him to use any other substitute. He'd assumed he would be able to heal once he'd taken the injury, but there he'd been wrong. _I'd do it again, too. Iruka did the same for me. Now I guess I know why._

Naruto suddenly found himself on his side; he'd keeled over and now he was being dragged. His mind was a mess of confusion, but he was aware still. Enough to understand that he was feeling no pain now, that the thing in him was connected to every part of him. It overrode his nervous system, as well as muddled his thoughts. His urge to resist was wavering.

He could hear Kurama roaring, calling his name, but it was so faint…and then that too was gone. He was still being pulled. Dragged through damp leaves and his own blood, and he had no idea, none whatsoever, just what the fuck was going on other than that he was dying. Strong as he was, and as much as he'd overcome, he was dying at the hands of some _thing_ he didn't even have a name for.

He was close to the egg thing now. Sleepy, almost deaf, nearly blind, he could nevertheless make out the sight of more tendrils rising up from that fleshy thing and reaching for him.

"Naruto!"

There it was again. His name being yelled. It wasn't Kurama this time, though. Couldn't be. Kurama never called him " _Dobe_ ," or said things like, " _Trust you to land your stupid ass in this fucking mess."_ He just had time to make out Sasuke flying at the egg thing with his sword drawn, soaring right over his body to drive the point of his blade at the tendril dragging him. But one of the other tendrils, the newer and smaller ones, lashed through the air, and Sasuke disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

A hallucination. _Sasuke would never rescue me like that._

* * *

Sasuke was grimly contemplating Kiba's shirt and whether or not he should use it again, when his head snapped up. All thoughts of Kiba left his mind.

* * *

The guard stationed at the solitary cells stifled another yawn behind his hand. Bored out of his mind, he reached beneath his little table, glanced around to make sure the next guard wasn't coming in yet, and pulled out the latest issue of _BBB: Bodacious Boobs and Butts._ He didn't even have a chance to open the magazine before a stray shard of steel flew from out behind him and pierced his skull. He was dead before he hit the floor.

* * *

Kiba smiled as he cloaked himself completely, masking his chakra and any sense of his person from detection. He was just outside the fenced area that housed the underground detention cells. Once cloaked, he adjusted the basket of food and drinks he was carrying over one arm, and prepared to leap the fence.

He was thrown back by a blast of what felt like fire and wind. Pain slashed at his forearms where they were crossed over his face, and his back felt like it snapped in two when it slammed into what felt like a stone wall.

It was a tree, he saw when he managed to roll over. His back was not broken, and the pain in his arms seemed to have been caused by stray shards of metal; a thin sliver of it was embedded in his skin. He winced while pulling it out, but was already looking around for his attacker.

He saw no one. Where the detention cells had been hidden underground was now a large smoking hole. Kiba slowly got to his feet.

Some huge lavender monster of chakra exploded from that hole, knocking Kiba flat on his ass again. Behind the cover of one arm, Kiba could just make out Sasuke in the center of that thing. It was gone almost as soon as he registered this, bounding over the detention area, and completely out of sight.

Kiba blinked in shock. _Susanoo_.

In the aftermath of Sasuke's escape, the area was deathly still. Then he heard shouting in the distance. Faint. His hearing was shot. _ANBU_. He could smell them. Sasuke's scent was heavier, though. Checking to see that he was still masked, Kiba lurched into a jog, following the storm of uprooted trees and flying leaves that marked Sasuke's headlong dash.

* * *

_Susanoo_ wasn't the easiest thing to hold under the best of circumstances. It was even worse when your chakra wasn't a hundred percent, Sasuke noted. He'd likely damaged himself in some way by forcing his pathways open in order to call out _Susanoo_ , but there'd been no help for it.

Whatever. It might not be complete, but it would have to do; what information he'd managed to glean from the confusion of images he'd gotten from his clone suggested that he would need every ounce of power he could summon.

That clone. He'd become so used to maintaining it and having it follow Naruto that he'd all but forgotten it. It had become a ritual for him to form one each morning when he went to the bathroom and cloak it.

Thinking of the brief assessment of the situation his clone had conducted, Sasuke narrowed his eyes and pushed himself harder. _That idiot better not die before I get there._

* * *

Naruto _wasn't_ dead. Glutted on his chakra, the egg thing was changing. It was now able to fill the entire hollow with its malevolent energy. This black miasma hung like a cloudy dome over the hollow so that Naruto was enveloped in it, and thus drained of life even faster.

Having found a shred of his trademark stubbornness, he grimly hung onto his consciousness with one hand dug deep into the dirt. His face was set, and his teeth bared, as he tried to resist being pulled any farther. It didn't matter, not really. He was being drained regardless. It felt as though all of Kurama's chakra was being sucked out of him. What kept him alive now was his own chakra and will to live. Defenseless as he was, he was _not_ giving in.

But he was still being dragged toward that thing.

He had a bug's eye view of the hollow, where his cheek rested on a patch of damp leaves. Just then, Naruto tried to call up Haku's face. Kiba's. Sakura's. Anyone of his friends. No one came to his struggling mind, not even his mother and father. He thought they, at least, would be there in his final moments, the way they'd been there at previous crises in his life.

No. Nothing. His eyelids were growing heavy, and he could hear his heartbeat now, getting slower and slower as his feet made contact with that egg. They immediately went numb, and he understood that once the egg swallowed him whole, he'd be finished. _I'm really dying,_ he thought with wonder. _Mom. Dad. Ero-sennin-_

Sasuke.

Naruto tried to smile.

Sasuke's face was somehow the last one he expected to see, and yet the only one he _wanted_ to see before he died. Things felt…unfinished between them. Even if it was a figment of his dying mind, Naruto figured he could say what he had to say. He tried to focus on Sasuke's face. It seemed very far away, and it wasn't giving a welcoming smile in return, or wreathed in heavenly light the way he thought it would be, but it was there just the same. And it was speaking to him. "Huh?" His voice came out sounding whispery soft.

* * *

Sasuke cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled again. "Naruto!"

He couldn't tell if Naruto was aware or not. It was hard to see him through that black cloud, and the odd light around him was very dim. He stood just above the hollow now, watching as some thing seemed to be eating Naruto alive, and thinking feverishly.

_Susanoo_ had been needed in order for him to break out of that steel cell, but he'd let it go soon afterward. Another few inches of Naruto's legs disappeared into that thing, and he came to a decision. Having already tested the black cloud with the side of one hand, Sasuke knew that whatever energy comprised it was highly destructive. How Naruto was surviving a long as he was while surrounded by it was a mystery, but Sasuke didn't think he'd last too long himself; his hand was tingling unpleasantly.

" _Katon: Gouryuuka no Jutsu!_ "

* * *

Haku, Tsunade, and several ANBU agents pulled up just as Sasuke released numerous huge fireballs into the atmosphere. The heat of them was prodigious, crisping the fine hairs on their arms and cracking the skin on their faces, even removed from direct contact as they were. Haku could make out the shape of a dragon on each of the fireballs, but had no time to study them further as Tsunade called Sasuke's name. She switched to a shouted warning for all of them to take cover.

There was a _whoosh_ , a backlash of heat that dwarfed even what the fireballs had put out, and Haku looked up from where he'd thrown himself to see black flames devouring the black cloud of energy as if it were nothing. _Amaterasu_ , he thought in shock.

He, along with everyone else, had gotten a glimpse of Naruto and his plight before they'd taken cover. His methods might be extreme, but Haku couldn't fault Sasuke for employing them; Naruto wouldn't be in such dire straits unless he was completely overpowered. And if Naruto could be taken down so easily, the rest of them didn't have a hope of helping him.

Haku looked at Sasuke and thought, _He can save Naruto; we can't._

* * *

Once the hollow was free and clear of the cloud, Sasuke let _Amaterasu_ die. He started to run forward. There was just the fleshy sack now, with Naruto half submerged in it, but tendrils materialized from it and arrowed toward him.

Analyzing as he ran, Sasuke reasoned that dodging would be pointless. More tendrils were appearing. Naruto screamed, as he was drained even more to facilitate this response. Bracing himself, Sasuke called up _Susanoo_ once more, called it up completely this time, and took a flying leap. He could see where the tendrils, dozens of them, wrapped around his jutsu, but he landed and grabbed Naruto's outstretched hand. The moment his chakra made contact with the tendrils, the pain of Susanoo intensified and immediately began draining off. The way some kind of low-grade hum pulsed throughout the jutsu seemed to lull his senses, but he held tightly to Naruto's hand and focused on the pain. It kept his mind from being put into a trance, and his attention sharp."Naruto!"

-oOo-

Naruto blinked slowly, forcing himself to see despite his fading vision. Sasuke wasn't a figment of his stuttering mind, he realized. It was really him, he was really there, closer than before. Holding his hand, squeezing it. Feeling the strength of that grip, Naruto felt a ghost of his own senses return. "Sasuke…"

"Can you hear me?"

Sasuke's voice was faint, though he was right there. "Yes," he tried to yell, but his own voice was soundless to his ears, and he simply didn't have the energy.

But Sasuke heard him. He could tell by how his face set into determined lines and his grip tightened. And now that he was really looking, he could see _Susanoo_ , huge and crackling all around Sasuke, and the way it seemed to flicker. He could also feel, via his connection to the thing, how it was actively working against Sasuke. _It knows Sasuke means to help me._

The idea of being swallowed by something that was so aware filled him with dread and panic, to the point where his mind cleared even more. Enough for him to resume his fight. He tightened his own grip on Sasuke, reaching to grab Sasuke's other hand as well, as his knees were swallowed and went numb.

Unbelievably, Sasuke gave a grimace that Naruto realized was meant to be an encouraging smile. "That's it, _Dobe_. Hang on."

"Sasuke…pull!"

"Tch." Sasuke didn't waste his strength arguing that he _was_ pulling. He kept his mind on one thing only. _If I lose_ Susanoo _we're both dead._ And _Susanoo_ was quickly being destroyed. It hacked at the tendrils as quickly as they were being formed, but more only followed. _It's feeding off my chakra as well as his. Fuck!_ A quick glance showed the hollow to be swarming with tendrils now, which explained why no one else had followed him in. He could sense attacks being hurled at them, but he could also feel the little infusions of chakra the tendrils derived from these, and how much stronger it was getting second by second. He and Naruto were now at the center of miniature forest of the tendrils. They didn't have much time at this rate, and yet he _had_ to wait. "Stop attacking!" he yelled over his shoulder. "You're only giving it more power!"

* * *

The Hokage and ANBU heard and understood. They circled the hollow. "What is he waiting for?" Tsunade said tensely. She could just make out, through the multitude of swarming coils, where the two boys lay. At least the reach of that thing seemed to be finite; if she and the others stayed out of the hollow, the coils and tendrils couldn't reach them. "Sasuke!" she yelled. "Get Naruto out of there!"

Sasuke ignored her.

"What is that thing?" she asked the agents around her. "How is it that such a thing can exist so close to us without anyone ever encountering it before now?"

The agents had no answers for her. She watched impatiently, her blood hot and primed to wade in, but Sasuke was right. Besides, if they unleashed a powerful move that was nonetheless not strong enough to destroy it, it would only kill Naruto faster in its attempt to defend itself. As it was, Sasuke seemed to be holding off from having _Susanoo_ destroy it for that very same reason, but then why didn't he extract Naruto already?

"I should go in," she fretted. "My healing-"

"Negative," Aburame Shibi countered. He was one of the elite Jounin who'd been present when Haku's clone had delivered its urgent message. "My _kikai_ have already deduced that the anomaly in question would only drain you of the ability to heal. You'll die."

"Naruto _is_ dying, dammit!" Throughout this conversation she did not take her eyes off where he lay panting and quivering in Sasuke's grip. "If he's lasted this long, then I can-"

"He is Uzumaki." This time it was Kakashi who spoke, another who'd been present when the message had come. "His physical ability to withstand trauma is a lot higher than yours."

"And we need a Hokage, especially now when the entire ninja world is still reeling from the effects of war. Let us see what Sasuke can do," Shibi said. He didn't add that they needed her more than they needed Sasuke, but the sentiment was still heard by all present.

They watched in dread, as the minutes crawled by. Haku, sensitive to the atmosphere by dint of his nature, began to understand what Sasuke was doing and silently cheered him on.

* * *

Naruto could see first hand just what Sasuke's efforts were costing him. He could see how the tendrils were now actively trying to peel _Susanoo_ away from Sasuke's body, trying to get at the boy within. He could feel the strain the egg went through to divert its strength to this task, even as it sucked Sasuke of his chakra. Eyes red, mouth grim, sweating and bleeding from one nostril, Sasuke not only maintained _Susanoo_ , but managed to keep tugging on Naruto as well, and thus keep him from being swallowed completely. He knelt there before Naruto with this agonizing struggle plain in the snarl on his face.

Naruto thought his heart would break. Sasuke, who'd given him nothing but rejection, and for whom he'd bled for four long years- this was the same guy risking his life to save him now. As the egg slowly swallowed his hips, he kept his eyes on Sasuke. Willing him to succeed, silently begging him not to give up even as the trickle beneath Sasuke's nose grew thicker and became a steady stream.

When Sasuke's eye also began bleeding, Naruto bit his lip. All hatred and resentment were gone now in the face of what seemed to be their certain destruction. And there, in those minutes, he found it in him to believe in Sasuke one last time. No one who went through this much trouble for a former team mate could be all bad.

Sasuke was fast approaching his limit. His vision was blurry, and his grip on Naruto's hands was slipping.

Naruto could see _Susanoo_ fading now, being sucked away despite Sasuke's best efforts to maintain it. "No," he whispered.

-oOo-

_Susanoo_ was formless, little more than its ribs around him, but Sasuke clung to this too. The egg was getting stronger; he was being dragged inexorably as Naruto's body was consumed even faster. He tugged harder, but to no avail. And seriously, he didn't have the strength to spare to drag him out of the grip of that thing.

He met Naruto's eyes. They were droopy, glazed with pain, but still steady on his face. He could all but feel the faith Naruto was putting in him, and finally, finally he thought it was time. He freed one hand. "Hang on to me," he said. "Don't let go."

"I'm not," Naruto hiccupped. "Don't _you_ let go."

"Never."

For a moment, Sasuke seemed about to say something else. His frown softened, and his eyes traveled over Naruto's face. "Naruto, I-"

But then, in spite of their joint struggle against it, Naruto was sucked in another inch. Then another. " _Sasuke_ ," he quavered. His eyes closed and two fat tears rolled down his filthy face.

"I'm here. Look at me. Naruto. _Naruto_."

Naruto opened his eyes, and Sasuke _was_ there. He was beautiful to him. Bloody and sweaty and pale as he was, Naruto had never seen anything more beautiful.

"Do you trust me?" Sasuke said.

Naruto could see lightning forming in Sasuke's free hand. He nodded. "Yeah."

"When I tell you, call up whatever chakra you can."

"But I don't have-"

"Just do it," Sasuke said. He then released Naruto completely, got to his feet, and shot his lightning-covered hand into the air.

Thick bars of answering lightning spider-webbed across the stormy sky. Sasuke's hand acted as a conduit to this overwhelming display. The air reeked of ozone, and Sasuke could just make out the sound of the Hokage urging everyone to run. Naruto's scream brought his eyes downward in time to see him being entirely swallowed by the egg, and he reasoned he could wait no more. "Come!"

_Kirin_ erupted from the cloud cover, borne on the current of lightning Sasuke directed, and catapulted straight for the egg.

"Now, Naruto!" Sasuke screamed.

* * *

_Inside the egg, Naruto thought he was dead. He'd been swallowed the moment Sasuke let him go, and all feeling in him had ceased to exist. His entire body had gone numb, and the tendril inside him that was simultaneously killing him and keeping him alive, began to suck on the rest of his life energy in earnest._

_Then he heard Sasuke's shout. At the same time, pain exploded along his nerve-endings as the egg received some massive attack, something Sasuke was doing to it. Through his connection to the thing, he was able to feel its pain and shock, and an elementary understanding came to him that this thing had been engineered for people like him, people who were vessels._

_There was a break in the thing's pulse. A skip in its hypnotic rhythm that allowed Naruto to feel a glimmer of his chakra and power where it was being used by the egg._

_Comprehension flooded his mind just as Sasuke's attack, whatever it was, seemed to rip the egg apart. He grasped the tendril in both hands, reversing his link with it so that now_ he _was the one invading_ it _, and somehow managed to latch onto his power at the same time. He pulled with every particle of himself. Sucked and drew on his chakra, leeching it from the thing, as it finally lost its hold on him in a blazing outburst of agony so intense that Naruto screamed along with it. Screamed and screamed until something familiar heated his insides, and Kurama's voice was there, inside him once more. He was speaking to him, but Naruto didn't understand anything. He was blind and deaf to all but the searing pain, and his lock-jawed determination to yank back every shred of his chakra._

_And then, blessedly, he could feel Kurama's power returning as well. It swelled in him, dulling the pain, rectifying the damage, until it was the Fox that was siphoning his chakra and Naruto's from the egg._

* * *

It seemed to those watching from the cover of a chakra barrier ANBU had thrown up that everything happened at once. _Kirin_ roared down at the egg, the egg resisted destruction for a moment that lasted an eternity, then Kyuubi's chakra exploded from the egg to cut off its wailing scream. At the same moment, _Susanoo_ reformed in its entirety in time to protect Sasuke from the backlash of chakra and flames that briefly engulfed the hollow. Then all was smoke and ozone and deep, velvety silence. They remained behind the barrier, watchful and alert.

* * *

Feeling returned first. He could feel that his body was intact, and that he was okay, but incredibly weak. That would pass, though. Already, he could feel his chakra restoring him to a full recovery. The horror of the egg was even now fading. He was still and quiet while it happened, and just enjoyed the sound of the thudding heartbeat beneath his ear and the feel of solid arms around him.

Naruto's eyes flew open.

He was cradled in Sasuke's arms. They were standing. He couldn't remember standing up. He couldn't remember anything. The last thing he'd been aware of was the egg being attacked by Sasuke, and the pain that had caused him.

Kurama rumbled inside him. An image came to him, of him being temporarily controlled by the Fox, enough to get his body back to normal and break free of the egg. Kurama had retreated, though, whether by his own will or the nature of his _torii_ seal, and his body had collapsed. Apparently Sasuke had caught him.

For a few seconds, all he could feel was how tightly Sasuke held him. Other things registered with him slowly, like the way Sasuke's hot breath blew down on his hair, and how Sasuke himself seemed to be a bit unsteady. He could hear people in the distance, calling his name, but Sasuke was holding him and it was all he could think about. It was all he'd ever wanted in the world, for Sasuke to acknowledge how much he cared about him. Remembering how hard Sasuke had fought to save him, Naruto turned his face into Sasuke's neck. It came to him, with some embarrassment, that the breadth and height of Sasuke was disturbingly pleasant to feel.

The voices were closer now. Sasuke's arms began to loosen, but Naruto clung to him, unwilling to let go just yet now that Sasuke had finally acknowledged him. One moment. Just one moment more, then he'd let go.

-oOo-

In the stillness immediately following Naruto's collapse into his arms, Sasuke was keenly aware of his weight. The smell of him, the feel of him, and the fierce and crushing sense of possessiveness he felt. He squeezed without meaning to, and Naruto stirred. After a moment he knew Naruto was awake and felt sure, despite the connection they'd seemed to share when he was rescuing him, that Naruto would pull away in disgust. He could see where the Hokage and everyone else were racing back to them, but Naruto chose that moment to turn into him. And when he caught sight of Haku staring at them with large, wounded eyes and tried to release him completely, Naruto only held him tighter.

He looked down as Naruto finally did step back, and saw the regretful look on his face. That was a surprise. _Fuck it._ He pulled Naruto in and held onto him, letting all and sundry know that he wasn't letting go, not for anything...and Naruto returned the embrace. Was actually _hugging him back_. He could feel Naruto's heart hammering away in his chest.

But then Tsunade was there, pulling them apart and passing her hands over them in quick assessment.

"Get them to the hospital," she barked. Then she spun away to investigate, along with ANBU, the remains of the egg.

The spell was broken. He watched Haku approaching Naruto, who allowed himself to be led away. Agents landed around him, already issuing orders for him to come with them, but he had eyes only for where Naruto paused to glance behind himself. Their eyes locked for one long second…and then Naruto was letting Haku support him and guide him back to the village.

* * *

Only when the last agent had left the scene, and the Hokage and long since joined them and Haku in seeing that Naruto and Sasuke were safely on their way to the village, did Kiba unmask himself.

He'd seen everything. Had in fact been about to jump in to get Naruto himself, only to have Sasuke beat him to it. The scene of the event was now domed with a chakra shield ANBU had erected until Tsunade could get a team of specialists out here to investigate further. Kiba stared at a spot slightly removed from this.

Arms folded, and with one shoulder propped against the tree's trunk, he gazed at the place where Sasuke had held Naruto so tightly. Even dozens of feet up in a tree the way he was, Kiba had been able to smell the stench of Sasuke's claim.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Shizune jogged to keep up with Tsunade's ground-eating strides. The older woman marched with furious purpose down the hospital corridor. Medics and under-medics hastened to leap out of the Hokage's way; the thundercloud of disapproval on her face did not bode well for anyone she chose to take notice of.

"I want a detailed report on that anomaly waiting for me in my office the _second_ I get back," Tsunade growled.

Shizune whimpered a reply, and disappeared to see it done.

Refraining from kicking the door to the hospital room, Tsunade instead shoved it open as she entered. The naked fear on Konohamaru and Inari's faces did her heart good. She leveled a stare at Tazuna, where he hovered at Inari's bedside, and Sakura, who'd been the one to treat the boys while she'd gone to see to Naruto's rescue. Both Tazuna and Sakura wisely and silently stepped to the far side of the room. Only then did Tsunade release the door and approach the sickbeds.

Her assessment was quick and thorough. Sakura had done a good job, which she indicated with a slight sniff. Anything less than perfection from her student wasn't accepted, and Sakura adhered to this rule well. Satisfied, she crossed her arms and pinned the boys with hard stares. "Start. Talking."

Terrified, Konohamaru and Inari spilled their guts without the slightest hesitation.

-oOo-

Naruto was next. Sakura had evidently concluded that he didn't need her direct supervision, since he was alone in his room. Someone had provided him with a bowl of ramen, Tsunade saw. He yelped and tipped it over in his surprise when she barged into his room.

She ignored his bleats and curses of pain, waited until he'd thrown the scalding sheet off his legs, and continued to wait in fuming silence until he'd fanned his reddened skin with a hand. When he was finally still, she went over and performed an assessment of him as well.

As expected, she could find nothing wrong with his body, not now that several hours had passed since the incident. His chakra showed evidence of being drained, but it was even now replenishing itself. Naruto lay meek and quiet while she worked.

Tsunade smacked him soundly across the face with the back of one hand, then spun away from him to pace the small room as he picked himself up from the floor.

Naruto weakly crawled back into his bed. "What was that for?" he whined.

The clueless reproach on his face sorely tempted her to hit him again, but she folded her arms, much as she had when interrogating Konohamaru and Inari. "Let's start with illicit training sessions in the forest. With an _unranked_ boy and a Genin. A-rank jutsu. Unauthorized territory being used in an unspecified mission, and issued by another Genin _without_ my knowledge or consent. Does any of that ring a bell?"

"They _told_ on me?" Naruto's eyes were round.

Tsunade's jaw flexed dangerously.

Naruto shrank back from that look. "I'm not just a Genin," he muttered. "I'm also a Sage. We never had any problems out there till today. They wanted to learn and I taught them. I don't see what the big deal is. I mean, okay, maybe the A-rank stuff should have been saved for later, but I don't know any B or C-classed junk."

Tsunade blinked. "There isn't a shred of forethought in you, is there," she breathed. "You've grown tremendously, especially during the war and the events leading up to it, but you don't see the danger of your actions, do you."

"That _thing_ -!"

"Don't you think," Tsunade interrupted, "that if you were ready to handle a team, you'd have one? Once you make Chuunin, you _will_ have a team. A Chuunin has been tested, and thus is known to be trusted with the lives of others. A Chuunin shows maturity. Wisdom. These are things looked for in the Chuunin Exam. _You_ are not Chuunin, so don't _bitch_ at me about your _generosity_ in teaching two boys who are clearly just as _senseless_ as you are!"

Stung, Naruto blinked back tears. "You trusted me with the lives of others during the war!" he lashed out. "You were _counting_ on me then!"

"That was war! A wise leader uses the weapons at her disposal, and you are undeniably a powerful weapon, but you are _not_ ready to lead. Not even close."

A small gasp left Naruto. Granny had always believed in him. Hearing her essentially call him immature really hurt. Hating her intensely in that moment, he turned away and stared at where his bowl lay on the floor.

Tsunade regretted speaking so harshly, but it was the truth and had to be said. Naruto's head was swollen in the aftermath of the war, no doubt. The sooner he understood the lesson that he had to learn to follow before he could lead, the better. "You're to stay overnight for observation," she said softly. "And this discussion isn't over."

-oOo-

By the time she reached Sasuke's room, Tsunade's fury had simmered down to mere anger. She found him sitting up in his bed, still and watchful, as a medic fussed with the chakra-monitoring machine he was hooked up to. The medic quickly bowed and backed away as she walked closer, and studied the digital reading on the monitor's screen. She verified what she was seeing with a manual assessment of Sasuke's pathways. She also thumbed his eyelids wider apart and used her chakra-coated fingertips to delve his eyes.

"I was not aware that one in possession of Eternal Mangekyo could suffer damage to the eyes when employing _Susanoo_ ," she murmured.

"Normally one wouldn't," Sasuke said. "Holding _Susanoo_ while an outside force is working to dispel it is a different matter. How bad is the damage?"

"Moderate. The damage to your pathways is bit more serious. Had you only molded and used your chakra normally after forcing them open, the harm you did yourself wouldn't have been so bad. You broke through your pathways' seal by way of _Susanoo_ , however, itself a powerfully destructive jutsu to maintain; I fear the injury you've done yourself may be permanent."

"Permanent? What do you mean?"

She stepped back from him and let her chakra fade. "I mean some of your pathways may remain closed, never to open again. You'll find that some of your jutsu aren't as powerful as they once were, or may not form correctly at all. A practical evaluation of your skill set will need to be made before a final diagnosis is given, but based on what I'm seeing, it doesn't look good."

Sasuke stared at her a moment, then gazed at his chakra-monitor. It was very like a heart monitor, only this machine showed three lines. One for the high points in his chakra, one for the low, and the median line that averaged the two. _Permanent damage…_

"I strongly suggest you get as much rest as possible over the course of the next week," she continued as she was leaving. "We'll discuss your violations and how you came to know Naruto was in trouble then."

_Damn. I can't tell her about that clone._ He didn't see any way around it, though. "When do I get the practical evaluation?" he said, halting her as she pulled his door open. He needed to know just what he could do and how well he could do it. His plan to leave had only been postponed as far as he was concerned.

"That has yet to be determined." She left him alone to lean pensively against his pillows.

* * *

Shizune had ANBU waiting in her office and a cup of sake-spiked coffee on her desk when Tsunade wearily dropped into her chair. She reached for the cup first thing, and closed her eyes on an inhalation of appreciation as the liquid went down.

Only when she'd taken an additional moment to let it hit her system did she lean back, open her eyes, and fix her subordinates with a beady glare. "Report," she snapped.

The ANBU captain himself stepped forward and went to one knee before her desk. "Hokage-sama. Two units of specialists have been dispatched to the site of the anomaly, as ordered. Their report is incomplete as yet, but we are confident-"

" _What is it_?" Tsunade barked.

"We don't know," the captain said. "Only that it is not natural. It was engineered, apparently with the specific function of responding to _Bijuu_ chakra. The consensus is that it is something left behind during the war by an opposing faction."

"And how," Tsunade grated, pinching the bridge of her nose, "have patrols managed to miss coming across this thing before now?"

There was a pause. "Actually, the last patrol to pass that section of the forest never returned. A report was filed, but seeing as we were at war-"

"Silence." Tsunade moved to stand at her window and gaze out over the village. The sky was just starting to turn grey in the east. "I can't afford oversights like this," she hissed. " _Nothing_ is to go overlooked or unresolved, is that clear?"

"It is, Hokage-sama."

"It's destroyed? There's no hope of it repairing itself?"

"None whatsoever. Whatever it was, it won't be troubling us again."

Tsunade turned and swept her eyes over the captain and the three agents standing behind him. She addressed the captain. "I want the full report on my desk in three days' time. You may leave."

He was gone in an instant. The three agents remaining automatically went to their knees in his absence, and waited.

Tsunade signaled her desire for a refill and waited until Shizune had done so and left the office, before speaking to the agent in the middle, the one with a wolf's mask. "I've read your reports on Sasuke," she said, sipping quietly. "What do you make of his actions tonight?"

Wolf spoke for some time. There were quite a few insights in his report that had Tsunade staring out her window again in deep thought.

The unfortunate truth of the her dilemma with Sasuke was that in spite of his more or less model behavior, she simply could not bring herself to trust him. She'd wrestled with her decision to allow him back into the village, and still lost sleep over it on occasion. By law, and in the interest of fairness, she was doing with him exactly what should be done, but her instincts screamed in warning.

Wolf's revelations just might provide a way for her to uphold her decision to let Sasuke resume his citizenship, while also heeding her instincts. At this point, she would take any opportunity that presented itself.

* * *

Naruto's funk only lasted a few minutes. As soon as Granny left the room, a swarm of medics bustled inside and took his blood and vital stats. He was given another bowl of ramen, and made to sit in the room's only chair while his bed linen was whisked off. It was replaced with fresh sheets and a blanket. He was then helped back into bed as if he were a helpless child who was terminally ill. The mess on the floor was removed in a blink.

When all was made right in the room, the medics shyly approached him with shining eyes and asked for his autograph. He gave it. The men left, but the female among them bent to his ear and whispered that she'd sneak in more ramen for him if he wanted it. She then dashed away, face scarlet at receiving his smile of thanks.

Comfortable now, Naruto scrunched down beneath his blanket and stared at the sliver of night he could see through the curtains at the window. His over-stimulated mind drifted for a while on idle thoughts, before rewinding the night's events. He supposed this was inevitable.

He would have bet his life that Uchiha fucking Sasuke wouldn't have pissed on him if he was on fire, but here he was, alive and kicking, and it was all thanks to him.

For a minute, he tried to call up all the negative feelings Sasuke's name usually inspired, but they just wouldn't come. And when they didn't, he resolutely faced the fact that he only wanted the comfort of that shield so that he could avoid thinking about how he _really_ felt.

The memory of Sasuke's face when they'd been holding each other's hands, of him saying "Hang on," and the way his nose and eye had bled… That left Naruto swallowing in embarrassment, but it was the hug afterward, or whatever you wanted to call it, that did him in. The embrace had gone on a bit too long to really be called a hug, and had been far too intimate as well. Naruto didn't think he'd ever even held Haku as intently as Sasuke had held him.

He buried his face in his pillow with a groan. _Haku. Fuck._

He turned on his back and stared around the room. It was all starting to hit him now, everything that had happened. Nearly dying, and the horror of that thing. Sasuke. His feelings. Sasuke's actions. His body began trembling, and Naruto hugged himself beneath the blanket.

First and foremost, he told himself stubbornly, he _had_ no feelings for Sasuke. Sasuke had offered him _friendship_ , Sasuke had displayed said willingness to _be_ friends by saving his hide, and _that_ was as far as that went. He'd woken up in Sasuke's arms because he'd been unable to stand on his own, but there was nothing more to it, he thought repressively. Nothing, nothing, nothing! And there would never _be_ anything. Ever. Period.

Remembering how pathetically he'd clung to Sasuke during that hug left his stomach roiling. He'd left himself open for a crushing rejection right then. That Sasuke hadn't done anything but let him cling didn't make one bit of difference, Naruto fumed. He'd decided to give Sasuke another shot, but that didn't mean he forgave him for _everything_.

Fuzzy memories of him doing just that when he'd been half-swallowed by that thing tried to push their way to the front of his mind. Naruto slammed the door on those thoughts.

The point was, he decided as he worked himself into a healthy dose of denial, that Sasuke had a lot to answer for, and saving him didn't erase all that. It only meant that he'd accept the friendship, if it was still on the table. An image of Sasuke's arms around him surfaced again, and he turned his head to get away from it.

He saw Haku standing in his room's doorway and felt a glad smile of relief and welcome split his face. Haku was warmth and light and love. The antithesis of all that he'd been through tonight, and the cure for every negative thought he was plagued with. Seeing his slight form and wan smile, Naruto felt a burst of happiness in his chest, a feeling that lit him from within and caused the shadowy thoughts of Sasuke to evaporate entirely.

* * *

Haku had been made to wait until the Hokage had conducted her examination of Naruto before he could enter. He'd been standing outside the room when she swept in, and consequently had heard her assessment of Naruto's judgment. It was an assessment he privately agreed with. She'd sailed back out again, spared a single, narrowed glance for him, then disappeared down the hall. He'd waited where he was while medics had rushed in after her. When they left some time later, he'd stood at the door and watched Naruto, who didn't seem to notice him.

He'd stared at the younger boy for a long time. Naruto's frown of thought tugged at his heart, but he made no move to enter. He wondered what Naruto was thinking, if the fear that must have been with him when he'd been with that thing was still upon him. He wondered many things as he watched Naruto tossing on the bed.

Most of all, he studied the entire convoluted puzzle of Naruto and thought he at last understood him fully. Enough to reconcile the hurt he was feeling, at any rate, and that only enough so that he was able to step into the room when Naruto saw him, and put a weak smile on his face. He couldn't reconcile everything, but he did not hold anything against Naruto, who, after all, hadn't really done anything wrong.

No, it was Sasuke who was to blame.

-oOo-

Naruto pounded the mattress near his hip. "Come _here_ , oh my God."

Haku sat. Naruto dragged him into a fierce hug and just hung on, putting his head on Haku's shoulder. "I shouldn't have left you," Haku managed after a moment.

"Someone had to get the boys to safety." Naruto's voice was muffled. "And it allowed you to send Sasuke on ahead, which was brilliant, by the way. I can't even begin to thank you for that. It was really you who saved my life, not him."

Haku debated correcting this error in Naruto's thinking, but he'd long since surmised that the only way Sasuke could have known Naruto was in trouble and gotten to him as quickly as he had was through a clone. This, on top of everything else, had Haku's eyes flat and dark with a look Zabuza would have recognized. But Naruto didn't see. There were a lot of things Naruto didn't see, or chose not to see. "I'm just glad you're all right," he murmured. Yet he couldn't stop himself from comparing the hug he was receiving now to the one Naruto had given Sasuke only hours before. The tiny crack that had developed in the center of him when he'd seen Sasuke holding Naruto widened a little bit.

Naruto pulled back, but held on to Haku's shoulders. He gave them a little squeeze. "Me too. And listen…about what we were discussing before? You're right, and we should have our relationship defined. I'm totally ready to be your boyfriend. I'll be whatever you want." He stopped a moment and considered his words carefully. If he played his cards right, he could have everything. Haku as his love, and Sasuke as his friend. "You're…the best thing in my life. The best thing that has ever been in my life, and I don't want to lose that. Or you. I want you with me forever. Okay?" He gave a lopsided grin. "Will you be _my_ boyfriend? I don't care who knows anymore, I just want you. Well? _Say_ something."

Haku stared at him. _He really is a boy, with no forethought, and no hindsight either._ He understood how Naruto could be so hesitant about this subject this morning, and now so accepting of the idea. He did. But that didn't mean he could answer Naruto's question, so he didn't.

* * *

The hospital settled down after its excitement, so that by the time Tsunade was receiving the end of Wolf's long-winded report, and dawn was on the horizon, the corridors were silent as a tomb.

Wolf and his two comrades walked up to relieve the agents who'd filled in for them wile they'd been with the Hokage. They took up their positions outside Sasuke's room after peeking in and ascertaining that he was sound asleep. Wolf settled into a crouch outside the door, facing his companions, and prepared for a long day ahead.

-oOo-

It wasn't so much a sound that made him turn his head to the side some time later, as it was a subtle yet unmistakable shift in the air currents. He saw a smallish figure and the glint of fading moonlight on steel, before his vision went dark, and he was collapsing sideways.

* * *

Haku had delivered all three _senbon_ simultaneously, so all the agents slumped where they were without so much as a word of protest. He waited a beat, feeling out their vital rhythms.

Deeply unconscious. Good.

Moving silently, he pushed open Sasuke's door.

He hadn't been on the offensive like this in years; doing so without his mask felt decidedly strange. As if he was exposed. He slipped to the foot of Sasuke's bed regardless, and stared at the composed features.

-oOo-

Sasuke was catapulted to full wakefulness at feeling a sharp pinch in his neck. The next second his eyes bulged as it became obvious that he was paralyzed from the neck down. His eyes flew to the shadowy figure at the foot of his bed. This figure glided around to his right side and sat near his immobile hand, where it lay palm-up on the blanket.

"You," Sasuke wheezed. "If you think to murder me-"

Haku smiled thinly. "You may be important to some people, but you're hardly worth me going to that much bother."

Sasuke's panic receded somewhat. His eyes narrowed. "You're no match for me, anyway."

Haku casually turned his head to study the chakra monitor. "I don't suppose I could have handled the anomaly out in the forest as quickly or as decisively as you did, but you'd be wrong to assume you've seen my full strength, Sasuke-kun." He let his eyes drift in Sasuke's direction once more.

The weight of Haku's killing intent effectively silenced Sasuke's bravado. Whether or not Haku meant to kill him might be up for debate, but there was no denying that he was in the presence of an exceptionally powerful shinobi, and he himself was currently defenseless. He composed himself with an effort. "What do you want?"

"For you to listen, and listen well."

Haku began speaking.

* * *

The boys needed to remain in the hospital for several days, but Naruto and Sasuke were allowed to leave the next day. Tsunade had them each brought directly to the Hokage building the afternoon following their night in the forest. They were made to sit outside her office and wait on her convenience.

Naruto kept sneaking glances at Sasuke, but Sasuke was oddly subdued. His escort stood tensely around his chair, heads swiveling as if expecting some kind of threat, but all Sasuke did was stare as the bandage wrapped around one hand. If he noticed Naruto looking at him from time to time, he didn't show it. Naruto spent the rest of the time waiting cursing himself out for nine kinds of a raging idiot for expecting Sasuke to actually act like his friend.

He considered thanking Sasuke for saving his life, but since the bastard couldn't even be bothered to make eye contact…

-oOo-

Tsunade had Naruto brought in first. She only waited until his ass touched the chair in front of her desk before launching into his sentence. "The council and I have decided," she said crisply. "You are an important part of Konoha and a valued citizen, but you are undisciplined, Naruto. For unlawful exit from the village, and exposing Genin to mortal danger repeatedly, you are sentenced to one week of night patrol-"

"Whew," Naruto breathed. "That's not so bad-"

"-two weeks of devoting four hours a day to helping out in the north, south, and east sectors-"

"What! _Granny!_ "

"-and three weeks of morning duty in the stone yard," Tsunade finished. "All this is to be done simultaneously, of course. _And_ in addition to your assignment in the west sector. These hours can be doubled if you have an issue with them." Her steady gaze dared him to protest further.

"W-wh-when am I supposed to sleep?" he squeaked. "Or eat, or fu- see my friends?"

"That," Tsunade said as she shuffled papers in a clear dismissal, "is not my concern. You will have no days off. And I will be making periodic checks on you to ensure there or no…problems. This sentence is effective five minutes ago. Failure to meet the terms of this sentence will result in solitary, followed by an increase in hours. Here is your schedule." She held up a sheet of paper without looking at him, as she scribbled something down in a file.

Naruto was left to scramble out of his chair, snatch the schedule, and run out of her office.

Tsunade hid her tiny smirk. "That should keep him too busy and exhausted to get into trouble. Did you hear him, Shizune? 'When will I have time to fuck,' indeed." She shook her head around a chuckle, before assuming her stern expression once more. "Send in Sasuke."

-oOo-

Sasuke walked in, saw the council standing behind Tsunade's chair, and schooled his features to stoicism. This wasn't hard. He waited until told to sit before doing so. Wolf and the rest stood in a line behind his chair.

"How did you come to know Naruto was in trouble?" Tsunade asked without preamble. "And while you're at it, suppose you tell me from your own lips just why it is you and Naruto seem to butt heads so often since you've returned to the village."

Put on the spot so quickly, Sasuke did the only sensible thing he could think to do. He lied through his teeth.

Tsunade didn't bat an eye at the fish tale she was handed. If Sasuke really thought she believed that he'd had a clone shadowing Naruto because he knew all along how dangerous his little forays into the forest were, then her name was Uchiha Madara. His lengthy explanation only reinforced her certainty that he was an extremely cunning individual, and that she was dealing with a façade. In fact, the only real emotions she'd ever seen him display were immediately after he'd turned himself in after the war, and last night, when she'd witnessed him trying to save Naruto. The embrace afterward had also been noted and filed away.

She chose not to comment on the way Sasuke completely avoided answering why he and Naruto had been at odds all this time, and instead spread her hands in supplication once he was done speaking. "Your actions have left me in a quandary," she said smoothly. "On the one hand, you have violated your probation beyond any hope of repair. On the other, you risked your life to save Naruto, a feat not many of us could have accomplished so neatly. I will even go so far as to say that it was a heroic deed. May I ask _why_ you saved him?" she finished bluntly. "You and Naruto haven't been getting along, I'm told."

Sasuke kept his face neutral and his body still with an effort. "He'd have done the same for me. I owe him."

"What do you owe him?"

Sasuke cast around for some suitably sentimental garbage, something Tsunade would believe. "More than I can say." _Brilliant!_ He dropped his eyes to the floor as if the weight of his debt was too much, but kept his face blank. No use overdoing it.

"I see." Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "What do you expect to happen now?"

Sasuke continued to push the penitent card by leaving his eyes downcast. He managed an awkward one-shouldered shrug. "I don't know. I know I was wrong to break out of solitary, but I couldn't…I just couldn't let him die." Not quite a whisper, but close.

"Indeed." Tsunade folded her hands across her stomach, and regarded him with unblinking eyes. When the silence had stretched out and she saw that he didn't fidget, she gave up waiting for anything more from him. "Your actions have effectively canceled each other out so that I'm forced to let you go free. No permanent incarceration. However, that only means that you will continue as you were before last night's events. And since you were in solitary last night, to solitary you will return. You've destroyed our detention facility, but there is a specially crafted cell deep beneath the Hokage mountain that I think would suit you well. I'm sure there are enough rats and other vermin down there to sustain you for the three weeks you'll be staying. You will be given one water supply upon your arrival. Use it wisely. Questions?"

The glance he leveled at the council was longer this time, but he met her eyes when he said, "No."

Tsunade nodded at Wolf and his team. "Take him. Oh, and Sasuke. You will not have chakra down there. I'm sure I don't need to remind you of how ill-advised it would be if you tried to force that issue the way you did last night?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"Good." She waited until he and his escort had left before asking Shizune, "Has he arrived?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

"Show him in."

-oOo-

She was studying a mission document when Haku was led in. She acknowledged his deep bow after a moment, but did not ask him to sit. "Your foster parents have been granted citizenship," she said without looking up. "You, however, are another matter."

Haku bowed his head, his face a picture of misery.

"Since I have not granted you citizenship yet," she went on, "I cannot very well punish you for disobeying our laws. However, you _have_ violated the hospitality all visitors to this village are granted by aiding the endangerment of its youth. Have you anything to say?"

Haku slowly went to one knee and placed one fist on the floor. "Nothing, Hokage-sama. Only…that I should have known better. I let my love for one person cloud my judgment. I will do whatever you say to remove the stain of dishonor from Otan-san and his wife, as well as from myself."

Tsunade smiled. "You are a true shinobi, Haku. And I'm pleased you feel that way. Rise." She handed him the document she'd been studying.

Haku took it and skimmed its contents. "A mission, Hokage-sama?"

"Yes. I think some time away from the village is just the thing. The mission length will depend on you, but you can see that it requires a minimum of three months. You can use the time to consider just what it means to be a citizen of Konoha and how you will fit in here. After, if you decide not to pursue citizenship, I will completely understand, but if you do, I will be honored to have you."

"I…thank you, Hokage-sama." _A fitting punishment. Not too harsh, but not lenient either. A wise woman._ "You do me great honor with your mercy."

"Yes, well. Preparations should be complete within two to three weeks. I will have the necessary documents drawn up and signed by then. Until they are ready, you are to continue your work in the west sector. Dismissed."

* * *

Konohamaru and Inari were enjoying a rather pleasant visit with Tazuna, Moegi, and Udon. Inari wasn't as injured as Konohamaru, and so would be leaving in the morning. He and the other two children were perched on K's bed, living through a seriously enhanced version of last night's events, when their hospital room door crashed open much as it had the previous night. All four kids jumped in fright, but it wasn't the Hokage.

"So!" Ebisu-sensei crowed. His shades gleamed dangerously. "Seems there are boys here who feel that what I teach them isn't good enough anymore! They go around trying to learn A-rank jutsu from unqualified Genin! And _other_ boys aspire to the rank of ninja without going through the proper channels! My, my, my…Hokage-sama has asked that I handle this situation. Just _what_ am I to do, I wonder?" The violent grin on his face left no doubt that he knew exactly what he planned to do with them.

Inari and Konohamaru inched closer together, shivering with fear. "Ebisu-sama," Inari squeaked. "I-"

"Oho!" Ebisu leveled a finger at Inari, and the boy paled. "The maggot seeks to curry favor! You, worm, are to address me henceforth as Ebisu-sensei!"

Tazuna frowned and stepped forward, "Now see here-"

"And you," Ebisu's finger swung to point at the old man. His voice and tone lowered to an acceptable volume. "Hokage-sama begs your leave to send you three orphan boys as apprentices to replace the loss of your grandson. The boy will be initiated into the lofty and elite ranks of the ninja, provided he obeys my teachings to the letter. His Genin exam will take place with Iruka-sensei in three days."

The children watched as Ebisu withdrew a scroll from his pocket and handed it to Tazuna, who adjusted his glasses and read it. "Says here an exchange will take place, with my permission. Inari, resident of the Land of Waves, will henceforth be a student of the Konoha Ninja Academy, pending his examination's success. In exchange, three Konoha citizens will be apprenticed to the Land of Waves, to learn carpentry, for the duration of Inari's training." He looked at his grandson. "Boy, what would your mother say?"

Inari swallowd as he felt K's hand squeeze his own in excitement. It was everything he'd dreamed of, since meeting Naruto so long ago. His mother would cry and say no, but his mother wasn't here. His grandfather was, and he was holding the key to achieving his dream right there in his hand. All he had to do was sign.

Tazuna stared at Inari shrewdly. "Well. Tsunami put you in my care for this job of rebuilding Konoha, so that means she trusts my judgment regarding you. All I want to know is one thing. Can you do this? No sense me signing if you're going to bring dishonor down on my head."

Inari nodded immediately. "Boss and Haku taught me well. I'll ace that exam."

Tazuna grunted, as Konohamaru and the other two kids cheered and thumped Inari on the back. He scrawled his name on the scroll, and slapped it into Ebisu's outstretched hand. "Let's see these orphans you spoke about. Better not be too scrawny or weak."

* * *

The only way to get through his sentence was with clones, Naruto deduced immediately. He went to the stone yard in person each morning, and to the west sector each afternoon, but used clones for everything else. Every other night he would let a clone do the patrol while he conked out like something dead. By the end of the first week, chakra was a distant memory. Naruto really considered killing himself. He was so tired and drained that at this point death would be an improvement. He felt worse than when he'd been in that thing, and he still had two more weeks to go.

" _Fuck_ this shit!" he roared. He'd just torn the nail off his thumb by stupidly catching it on a nail. Kiba glanced over at him, but resumed hammering his own plank without comment. Haku likewise didn't look up from the plumbing he was installing. Naruto sucked his thumb a moment, then winced and gave up when that hurt too much. He stared at where his nail was slowly re-growing itself.

The whistle sounded for the end of shift. He threw his hammer down and immediately went to Haku, who'd leapt out of the foundation to yet another apartment building. "Hey." Naruto sidled up to him. "Want to go to Ichiraku's? I have an hour to kill before night patrol…" He tried to nuzzle Haku's neck.

Haku allowed the touch, but pulled away without returning it. "I've already promised I'd eat dinner with Otan-san and his wife."

"Oh." Naruto deflated a bit. "Can I come with?"

"You're always welcome." Haku smiled, but it was a small one.

Naruto grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. "Okay, what is it? What'd I do this time?"

Haku's face was puzzled. "I'm sorry?"

"Don't gimme that, Haku. I know you, okay? You've been weird since that night in the forest. I know I haven't been around, and we haven't touched, but when I _do_ suggest we hook up you act all sad and shit. What gives? You _know_ I can't spare more than an hour here and there."

"Yes, I do know. Your sentence. I'm not angry."

"Then…what?" Naruto glanced back at the site, where Kiba was still jotting down that day's progress in a ledger. "Want to skip dinner for a quickie?"

Haku lowered his head. When he raised it again, he decided to tell Naruto at least part of his problem. "Tsunade-sama punished me as well."

"What!" Naruto stepped back in shock. "You never told me that!"

"We barely see each other, unless we're at the site. And you're lucky Kiba lets you sleep for half your shift in the foreman's hut."

Naruto waved a hand impatiently. "What is it?"

"A mission."

"Where? For how long?"

"Demon Country. And at least three months."

Naruto stared at him for a long moment. His shock and budding outraged were replaced with one of the rare flashes of insight that made him seem older than his years sometimes. "When?" he said quietly.

"A couple of weeks." Haku looked down at his hands.

Naruto felt sick. Haku was the kindest, sweetest soul he'd ever met. The boys had been hurt as a result of his negligence and cockiness, but that was life. Ninja got hurt, they moved on. Neither his actions in the forest, nor Granny's tirade in the hospital had really brought home to him the magnitude of his errors. Learning that Haku was being punished did that. Punished because of him. Because he'd asked for Haku's help, and Haku had been too eager to please him to deny him, a fact he'd known and exploited, he thought bitterly.

Never before had he felt so weighed down by the consequences of his actions. There, in the middle of the road, with twilight around them both, Naruto tasted true responsibility for the first time in his life, and found it a bitter dish indeed. He felt tears sting his eyes. "Haku. I'm so fucking sorry."

Without looking up from where he picked at a scratch on one hand, Haku slowly shook his head. "It was my fault. I knew better."

"You're being sent away."

There was nothing Haku could say to that.

Naruto scrubbed his face with the heels of his hands. "Look, uh…you go on ahead. Spend some time with your foster parents before you leave. I'll see you here at the site tomorrow, okay?"

Now he did look at Naruto. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Then, because he'd missed it and Kiba was still busy writing, he leaned in and planted a hard kiss on Haku's mouth. When Haku left his face turned up, eyes closed, he stepped into him, grabbed him, and kissed him for real. Haku sagged in his arms, but returned the kiss with interest. "I love you," Naruto gasped when it ended. "I'll be loving you ten times as much while you're gone."

-oOo-

He was still standing in the middle of the road when Kiba strolled up with Akamaru. Haku was long gone. Naruto turned an annoyed glare on him and fell into step beside him. "And what's _your_ problem?"

Kiba sniffed. "No idea what you mean."

"Come off it. I know your ass too, and I can tell when you're pissed at me; Akamaru growls when I try to pet him."

Kiba stared straight ahead, jaw tense. "Don't like traitors."

Naruto felt a headache settling between his eyes. These came and went as he battled fatigue, but he thought he just might be developing a migraine from the injustice of that statement. "I know you're not calling _me_ a traitor."

"It is what it is, man."

Naruto considered punching Kiba, but decided he didn't have the energy. "Meaning?"

"Meaning either you want Haku or Sasuke, but you can't have both."

"The fuck are you _talking_ about?" Naruto howled in acute frustration. "Since when do I want Sasuke?"

"Since you were all over him in the forest."

Naruto stopped and so did Kiba, who appeared ready for a fight. His face was belligerent and his fang gleamed. "You were there?" Naruto whispered in disbelief.

"Tailing Sasuke."

"Oh. Well, I wasn't all over him."

"Seemed like it."

"I _wasn't_."

"Smelled like it, too. Mostly from Sasuke, but I caught your scent as well. You smelled willing."

Naruto snapped. "I ought to kick your face in for that, you fuck. Willing for _what_? For Sasuke's _dick_? Is that what you're saying? Say it to my face if you are, and if you aren't then show some fucking loyalty, man!"

"The kind of loyalty you show? If I did, I'd be going after Haku right now."

It took Naruto all of three seconds to realize what Kiba was saying. "So it's like that. Dude…I wasn't horning in on your territory, okay? And what the fuck, I thought you said you weren't serious about him?"

Kiba ignored that. "So you don't want him?"

"Sasuke? How many ways can I say it? No, all right? He offered to be my friend, and saved my fucking life, but I'm not lusting for him."

Kiba would have to take it or leave it, because despite what he'd smelled, if Naruto's mind hadn't caught up to what his body felt around Sasuke then there was nothing to be done. He would have to trust Naruto. "Fine. But I'm saying it here and now, Sasuke is mine. Whether or not I'm serious is irrelevant; until I'm done with him, he's marked property."

Naruto's eyes widened. He'd learned a few things hanging around Kiba. "Have you-?"

"Marked him physically? Fuck no, you crazy? My mom would kill me. She's got some meek little bitch picked out to pup for me when I come of age. Besides, whatever I do, I'm not looking for any life-long commitment to Sasuke."

They resumed walking now, but Naruto frowned. "How's that work? The girl, and your thing for guys?"

"One doesn't have anything to do with the other, not for an alpha."

"Oh. Ichiraku's? I got twenty minutes to eat."

"Yeah, okay."

"We good?"

"You bet. Just the same, though, I'm glad Sasuke's not around. Dude seriously complicates things."

* * *

For the next two weeks, things settled into a pattern. Naruto continued to abuse _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_ , while Kiba allowed him to sleep at the site. The few times the Hokage made a surprise visit, he was able to smell her in time to wake Naruto beforehand. Haku would pitch in and cover for Naruto, but this on top of the trouble Haku was already in left Naruto feeling too guilty. He soon abandoned his naps and pushed himself harder.

He only spent every other night in the barracks, at which point he slept like a rock. He and Haku only had lunch and dinner breaks to be intimate, if Naruto wasn't too tired, which he usually was. Sometimes Haku watched his fitful sleep with a wistful smile. Other times he was glad that Naruto wasn't awake to see his tears. Sometimes he spooned with Naruto and slept for a few minutes as well.

-oOo-

"You never answered my question," Naruto said one night. It was one of the nights he was sleeping in the barracks. "About being my boyfriend?"

Haku went pink. "I know. I was thinking maybe I could give you my answer when I get back." The Hokage had given him the documents. He'd be leaving in one week, right when Naruto's sentence was over.

"I thought you wanted this."

"I do…"

"Then why do we have to wait?"

_Because it's not what you really want._ "I just think it would be selfish of us to hold the other to a relationship when we're apart."

Naruto slowly sat up on his bunk. "Wait. So you're saying that while you're gone we're supposed to be…seeing other people?"

The others in the barracks were now looking their way and listening. Naruto didn't seem to notice or care, but Haku ducked his head in embarrassment. "Naruto, please understand-"

"That what? That you think I can't wait? That I can't commit? What the f- are _you_ planning on being with someone else?"

"No!"

"Then accept me, dammit!"

There was dead silence in the barracks. Lee had a hand to his mouth, eyes wide. Sakura and Ino each had one hand to their throats, and Kiba looked pained. He was staring hard at Haku.

Haku finally raised his eyes. They were wet. " _I_ _can't_."

-oOo-

After that, Naruto didn't see Haku at all. He'd moved out of the barracks to spend his last week with his foster parents. Kiba said the Hokage had likewise excused him from working at the site. Naruto found a bit of energy at last as panic and fear set in. He applied himself to his sentence with renewed vigor, and all the while he berated himself for being the dumbest piece of shit to ever befoul the earth.

Because if Kiba had seen him and Sasuke hugging in the forest, he belatedly realized with infinite shame, then so had Haku.

* * *

Naruto didn't wait to celebrate when the whistle blew for the end of shift on the last evening of his sentence. He only washed up quickly at the barracks, grabbed a clean shirt, and changed into it during his frantic dash to the village gates. Haku was scheduled to leave at 8 pm. It was 8:01.

-oOo-

Haku had been delayed by the Chuunin on gate security, Naruto was relieved to see. They were carefully reading though his mission documents when he ran up, and paid no mind as he hastily pulled Haku aside.

"Made it," he gusted. "Couldn't let you leave without seeing you off, could I?" He pulled the shorter man into a tight hug.

"I'm glad you came," Haku murmured. "It means the world to me."

Naruto looked down into his face. "No prob. I, uh…wanted to tell you…I mean, I wanted to say…fuck." He tried again. "What happened in the forest with Sasuke…it's not what you think. If you were thinking it, I mean. I was hurt and tired and he'd saved me, and…but it wasn't like a _thing_ or anything. Okay? I just wanted to say that. And that I get it if you don't want to be my boyfriend right now because of it. If you're mad at me or something. We'll have plenty of time to work it all out when you get back." He took a deep breath once he'd finished.

Haku reluctantly pulled out of Naruto's arms and shouldered his satchel. "I'm not coming back."

The Chuunin had handed the documents back, and Haku was rolling them and putting them into his belt by the time that statement registered with Naruto's stunned mind. "What?" he jogged up to grab Haku's arm. " _What_?"

"I'm not-"

" _Why?_ "

The Chuunin were staring at them. Haku took Naruto's hand and led him a few yards back into the village, away from the gate. Naruto looked wild: nostrils flared, mouth and eyes wide with shock. He was hyperventilating too, which was a sure sign that he was either about to get very loud or very violent, or both. Probably both. Haku took his hands and held them close to his heart. "Naruto, listen to me."

"You…I…I said I was sorry, you can't leave, you can't, you can't, you _can't_ \- If I hadn't made it here in time, you would never have even _told_ me-"

"I was going to send a letter."

"Son of a-"

Haku squeezed the cold hands sharply. " _Listen_ to me. Are you listening?"

Naruto focused on Haku's stern face with difficulty, and nodded.

"I want you to believe me when I say that I have nothing but your best interests at heart. That all I want is the best for you. For you to be happy and healthy and whole. To live without pain inside you. Do you believe me?"

"Y-yes. But _Haku-_ "

"I love you, Naruto. I've never loved another. I felt something for Zabuza, but it's nothing next to what I feel for you. And I know you love me, but…I'm not the one you really want to be with."

Naruto's tremors left him so that he was completely still. Haku's words called up a bunch of things he normally kept behind locked doors. A rushing sound filled his ears as these things were let loose one by one by Haku's gentle accusation, and he tried to speak. To deny them. To put the things back and close the door once more, but _Haku was speaking_ , and denial, his long-time friend, was being taken away from him.

"I didn't see it at first," Haku was saying. "Or maybe I didn't want to see. I wanted to believe you, and believe in you. I wanted the prize, the great shining hero, the incomparable Uzumaki Naruto to be all mine. I let you conduct those missions with the boys, and overlooked your mistakes. I let you lie to both of us, but no more. I can't do this to you anymore, not if I love you. I'm selfish, but not that selfish."

"Stop," Naruto begged in a small voice. "Please…"

Haku went on relentlessly, if kindly. "You use your love for me like a shield, Naruto. To hide from how much you want Sasuke. To mask how much you've _always_ wanted him. And that night in the hospital, when you suddenly wanted to be my boyfriend, I finally understood that."

"No." Speaking was so difficult. His voice was hoarse. "No, that's not true. I want you."

"But you want Sasuke more. And I can't continue to complicate your life by staying here and confusing the issue. Nor can I really have you when you're so conflicted. _If_ I have you, I want all of you, without interference."

"You do!"

"I don't," Haku insisted. He released Naruto's hands and stepped back. "But maybe one day, if we see each other again, you'll be completely free and we can start over. I'm going to hope for that, so I won't….I won't say good-bye."

Naruto watched him wipe his eyes and turn away through his own blurry vision, watched as Haku passed through the gate and began walking on the long road leading from the village.

He ran after him, intending to follow, but the Chuunin on guard blocked him. "Hokage's orders," the largest one said. "You're not to leave the village without her express permission."

For a second, Naruto's chakra swelled ominously, but he couldn't do it. He couldn't overpower them even though they were clearly weaker, because that would only prove Granny right. That he _was_ immature.

And going after Haku would only be more running from the truth. As fucked as he currently was, he wasn't a big enough shit to hurt Haku like that. Not on top of how much he'd already hurt him. He could barely stand beneath the weight of his shame over just how much he'd hurt Haku through his stupidity, and all the guy had ever wanted was to love him and be with him. _But I want that too! I want Haku more than anything, I know I do!_

He watched Haku's small form, heart breaking, until it was swallowed by the night.


	10. Chapter 10

 

Chapter 10

" _What do you want?" he'd asked_

" _For you to listen, and listen well."_

_He'd waited, but Haku had looked away a moment, toward the window. His eyes had been distant, and there'd been a small frown between his fine brows. When he looked at Sasuke again, it seemed that he had whatever inner conflict he suffered under control._

" _You have much to answer for," Haku began. "Too much to make amends for, and too much for me to cover in the time I have here. In any case, the destruction you've done and the hurt you've caused to the people in your life is none of my business. My concern is, and always has been, Naruto. You, in your thoughtless and narcissistic pursuit of vengeance, have damaged him. I don't think you realize just how much, or how seriously. Do you? Do you even care?"_

" _I don't know what you're talking about," he'd said. "No one ever told him to come after me, and I certainly don't need to allow my family's murder and the manipulation of my brother to go unaddressed just to please some whining idiot. He should have minded his own business."_

" _So you don't care. If you really believe that Naruto is some whining idiot, then I'm wasting my time. But if you have even a tenth of the intelligence you're purported to have, then hear me and mark my words. Naruto is the future of the world we live in. He is special, and his potential is literally limitless. The things he has the ability to affect, to change…every man, woman, or child who calls themselves shinobi should follow him. He will lead them to peace and success. To everything we fight for. Had you stuck by him or believed in him, you would have had the satisfaction you seek, Sasuke-kun. I know it. He would have found a way._

" _Instead, you undermine him at every turn, and lead him on with your ignorance. Lead him to think he can save you, dangling the possibility of redemption before his face when you and I both know there is no hope for you."_

" _I've never-"_

" _I believe in Naruto with everything that I am," Haku went on. "I trust him. He believes you can be saved, but in this one thing he is wrong. Your rejection does what nothing else can, and makes him doubt himself. Makes him afraid. He has convinced himself that who he is, is wrapped up in your salvation. That he is only defined by his failure to make you see him. And that because you see him as so insignificant, then it must be so. And that the rest of the world will see him that way too. Do you understand what I am saying, Sasuke-kun?"_

" _No."_

" _Then let me put it more plainly: You are killing our hope for a better future. Killing all our futures. That stunt you pulled tonight. I'm grateful that you saved him, but embracing him as if he meant something to you? Making him think, even for a moment, that you care? You will end up killing him next, and I won't I let that happen. You asked me what I want? I want you to disappear, Sasuke-kun. To leave and make sure Naruto never hears your name again. Even better would be your immediate demise, but I will not lay a hand on you. I won't have that on my conscience. Naruto would never forgive me, and I could never hurt him like that._

" _Sadly, it looks as if you won't be leaving the village anytime soon, so I'm willing to compromise. Stay away from Naruto. Completely. No more clones. No more stalking. Don't speak to him. You will request to be removed from the west sector, and_ if _, Sasuke-kun._ If _I find you within 500 yards of Naruto at any point in time, we will test your theory of superiority over me. I am not confident of your success. You think my mercy is weakness, but let me tell you something: I am only as kind as I am because I know what true cruelty is. The darkest evil can sometimes be the brightest goodness, just as the deepest love can transform into the most bitter hatred. This is something Naruto believes, or he wouldn't continue to hope for you as he does, but it's something I've_ lived _. You…you're just dark, Sasuke-kun. Your light went out a long time ago, and I see no possibility of change for you."_

_Haku cocked his head thoughtfully, letting his eyes run over Sasuke's body where it lay. There was such a calculating look of assessment on his face, that Sasuke had tried to move. Haku saw his struggle and his thin smile came back. Coupled with the detached look of assessment he wore, Sasuke thought it the most unnerving thing he'd seen in his life. And he'd seen much._

" _I do believe," Haku said softly, "that I've changed my mind. If it comes down to a choice between Naruto's wrath or his overall health, and our future…I will choose the future. For that, I_ would _hurt him, but only because he could then finally heal from the poison that is your existence." He'd moved closer then, putting his face so near Sasuke's that he'd thought Haku meant to kiss him. But then Haku moved past his face to his ear, where he whispered, "I will kill you, Sasuke-kun. I cannot be any more blunt than that. I will kill you, as creatively and painfully as I can. Without hesitation. Hurt Naruto again, or come near him but once…and I will show you what_ true _darkness is."_

-oOo- _  
_

Haku had seemed to fade to a shimmer at that point, Sasuke recalled. There and gone on a breath of icy vapor that had chilled his skin. He'd been surprised to find that he could move as well. He remembered wondering what had become of his escort, but they'd chosen that moment to charge into his room, obviously aware that something had occurred. They hadn't left him after that, but had remained until he'd been discharged the next day.

That was a week ago, yet Haku's words occupied a large part of his waking hours. He didn't know if it was due to the level of discomfort he suffered, the lack of alternative stimuli, or if the words themselves really did have hidden meanings, but for whatever reason, the longer he pondered the ultimatum, the more certain things seemed to come to light.

For a while, he tried to force that night and Haku's threats from his mind by focusing on his cell. He couldn't even really call it a cell. It was more like a misshapen cavern that had but one exit. The same one he'd been tossed through when he'd been brought here. There was no light whatsoever, not even a torch. His first impression had been surprise, quickly followed by calculation.

That first night, he'd distinctly recalled Tsunade telling him that he wouldn't have chakra here, yet no one had sealed his pathways or divested him of the chakra he'd managed to replenish overnight.

Left alone, without even a guard, he'd put a hand out to feel for the wall. He encountered a rocky surface not too far to his left, and immediately felt a weakening in himself. He removed his and, and the feeling faded. Put his hand back, and the feeling returned. Understanding came: whatever mineral was present in the mountain's rocky depths was likely one with the ability to naturally drain one's chakra. This was probably where they acquired the metal used in holding cells and other apparatuses that performed the same function. He brought his other hand up and felt along the wall.

By the end of an hour, he'd been able to sketch out a rudimentary map in his mind. The cavern zigzagged aimlessly over an area nearly half the size of the village itself, and he wondered just how far underground he was. He could almost feel the weight of the mountain overhead, and some of the wider areas of the cavern seemed to echo with the sheer amount of space. He heard trickling water, as well as the scurrying of rats, and noted the locations of both.

A few times his feet brushed against the skeletal remains of previous prisoners. He wondered how long they'd been down there before succumbing, and what condition he'd be in at the end of three weeks. No doubt, he'd been thrown in here in an attempt to break his spirit; this was no ordinary solitary confinement, but one devoid of sensory input, and thus designed for the mind to turn on itself in short order. Any prisoners who were allowed to leave here were probably extremely penitent or stark raving mad.

Sasuke gave a tight smirk. He'd vowed then and there that he would emerge from this hole stronger than when he'd gone in.

He'd then retraced his steps and selected a corner for himself. This was where his water supply had been set. Moving carefully so as not to tip it over, he'd let his hands run over the large earthenware jug until he reached its mouth. Dipped his fingers in and brought the moisture to his lips. He was hungry, but not yet ready to hunt. In time. That first night, he'd made himself comfortable on the slightly earthy ground, and forced himself to relax. He wasn't a hundred percent recovered, but Tsunade obviously felt he could do so in this hole. He intended to prove her theory of permanent chakra damage wrong.

Sleep had come easily enough. It had been waking that left him unsettled. Waking from darkness _to_ darkness, with no real idea what time it was, had taken some adjusting to. And lying flush on the rocks had drained him a lot more than simply touching the wall had done. He'd woken up weak and disoriented, but forced himself to look for food. Tsunade had indicated that none would be brought down for him, and he believed her.

It wasn't his first time eating rat. The little shits were crafty, though, and soon avoided his area. He found other things to eat. Crawling things. Once he'd managed to catch a bat. He located their den at the extreme far end of his cavern, and after that made sure to lie in wait for them each time they left to do hunting of their own. In this manner he came to know when it was day or night, since they only ever left at night. Once his sense of time had been re-established, he was less tense.

He'd also found a tiny crevice in a wall that was removed from his sleeping area. It was wide enough to admit him, but barely. This was where he answered his calls of nature.

-oOo-

As always, though, with nothing else to occupy his mind, his thoughts returned to Naruto. Sometimes he thought of his reason for returning for the village, but that was coming more and more to be wrapped up in Naruto as well, not to mention Haku and his words.

It was odd, being focused on someone he'd detested for so long. Even worse, was the fact that he didn't detest him anymore. That was one of the things Haku's words had brought to light; that being told to stay away from Naruto did _not_ sit well with him. He didn't like how that development was fucking with his thought processes, or how it fucked with the decisions he'd made and plans he'd put in place. He didn't like conflict in himself; it was something he'd very rarely experienced.

But he couldn't stop thinking about what had happened after he'd destroyed that thing, either. Another revelation brought on by Haku's warning: he hadn't been _trying_ to make Naruto believe anything, had only wanted to make sure he was safe.

Seeing Naruto swaying on his feet, eyes red, chakra bright and strong around him- and then seeing it all vanish to leave him unconscious and falling, he'd simply reacted. He'd caught him more out of reflex than anything else, but once he'd had him he hadn't wanted to let go. He could have, he thought uneasily, but he hadn't. It had dawned on him then that during the time he'd been on Team 7, he'd touched Naruto as little as possible…had in fact never voluntarily touched him when he wasn't busy saving his ass. Then, with Naruto's weight nearly unbalancing him in his own weakness, he'd thought it was…nice. He'd held Juugo and Suigetsu during the act of sex. Not intimately, but he _had_ held them. This was different. He'd felt protective and…something.

His arms had tightened around Naruto, and he'd woken up. Even now, the memory of how Naruto had clung to him made his heart rate pick up. Naruto had needed him in that moment, and that was even more appealing than his feeling of protectiveness and the something else. He'd found that the idea of Naruto depending on him was an attractive one.

It had taken him a long time to identify the something else as being in control.

In all the years he'd known him, he'd never known anyone or anything to be able to control Naruto. What made the notion of control so fascinating wasn't even something he could define. He only knew that he wanted Naruto in his life, in some way, and on his terms. He wanted…to own him. To have that power and vitality at his disposal, to bask in Naruto's forceful nature and attention, but have it be completely focused on him and nothing –no one- else. And if Naruto also _needed_ him…

The knowledge that he coveted Naruto the way people coveted money or other objects tightened Sasuke's mouth. He was not in the habit of recognizing unacceptable behavior within himself, but right then it struck him that there could be something wrong with his thinking. Again, he let his mind cautiously rest on the idea of love.

Still a no. He didn't love Naruto, but he did want him. He had an image of putting Naruto into a box and only letting him out to play with. An extreme over-simplification of what he felt, but that was more or less what he wanted.

Of course that would never happen. And it disturbed him to find that imagining Naruto's outraged response to that idea made him smile. He really did like pissing the idiot off. If he walked up to Naruto and put the proposition to him, to be his plaything, Sasuke thought he could expect to have his head ripped from his shoulders with Naruto's bare hands. That was…funny.

His breathless chortles tapered away. For one thing, thinking such thoughts made him wonder if his confinement was driving him mad after all. For another, Haku's threat chose that moment to re-establish itself as his chief concern.

It was just…since coming back, he'd had to swallow so much bullshit, all in the name of allaying suspicions and integrating himself into village life once more. Letting himself be sentenced to all those months in the stone yard. Solitary. This hole. His escort. He had a mission, but the sacrifices needed in order to carry them out were talking a toll. And Haku's threat, on top of all that, was the last straw. He was not going to bend to some dress-wearing bastard. He might have to defer to Tsunade, and take the shit she dished out, but that was a means to an end. He didn't have to take anything from Haku. By God, the bastard had attacked him in his sickbed and behaved as if he owned Naruto. He couldn't quite decide which thing offended him more.

Once he'd done all he'd come here to do, it would give him orgasmic pleasure to demonstrate to Haku in a number of ways just who _was_ superior.

For a moment he considered fucking Haku before killing him. The idea of bedding such a womanly man gave him a shudder of disgust, though, and he discarded the thought quickly. Then he wondered what kind of lover Naruto was to Haku. He'd never let his clone get close enough to tell. _Probably wild. Naruto is a wild person._

Sasuke experienced a sudden and unbelievably insistent erection, one that had him holding his breath.

He couldn't stop himself from slowly reaching into his trousers and closing one hand around it. Then he was coming in the next breath, coming hard, and the realization that he'd done so with Naruto in mind left him red-cheeked and frowning.

* * *

_Why does everyone leave me?_

It was the first thought Naruto had that he could actually make sense of. When he'd left the village gate –distraught, enraged, and very afraid- he'd been unable to think. He'd fucked up, as usual, Haku was gone, and everything in him just hurt. His heart hurt, his insides…even his head was killing him from trying not to cry, and then crying anyway. It pounded sickly with his pulse. At some point he found himself on a pile of lumber at the training grounds, staring up at the canopy of stars overhead. Drifting on a sea of regret, shame, and self-disgust. The thought was the first coherent thing to come across his mind since watching Haku leave.

_But you know why he left. He left because of you. And Sasuke._

Him. And Sasuke.

Naruto let out a shuddery breath and felt the urge to start bawling again well up behind his eyes. Tamping it down increased his headache, but he was able to maintain. A tear did make it past his control to leave a hot trail down the side of his head, though. It went into his ear. Misery complete, he just let the rest come. Indulged in several minutes of noisy, childish crying and cursing, then sucked it in, sat up, and rested his splitting head on his knees.

Of course Haku was right. He could admit that now. Had no choice, really. Which meant Kiba was right too. God, how he'd lied to both of them. He hadn't _known_ he was lying, not really…and yet he'd always known that what he felt for Sasuke was just too big for him to think about. Maybe it was love, and maybe not. He didn't know. What he did know was that he was so full of that feeling, whatever it was, that it pretty much dictated his life.

God, he didn't even know who he was without Sasuke, either as a former teammate or a rival, or an enemy. First he'd been competing against him for Sakura's attentions. Then he'd competed against him for strength and power. _Then_ it had been all about earning his regard and getting some acknowledgement. And finally it had been all about chasing him down and bringing him back. Sasuke _had_ to be in his life in some shape or form, or he was just…nobody.

He was obsessed, he realized. He just could not get Uchiha Sasuke out of his mind, and without him, he wasn't sure he even existed. He wanted to be Hokage, but even that dream had been tarnished; more and more of late, he thought of becoming Hokage to prove something to Sasuke. Like, if he could do that, maybe _then_ Sasuke would finally see him.

And then Haku had come along, and shown him who he was. Who he could be, at any rate. He'd learned that he could have whole hours, days even, of Sasuke-free happiness. And he could love. He could love someone that wasn't Sasuke, and envision a future with that person. Haku had shown him that he was _more_ than the dust Sasuke kicked off his heels. He'd shown him that he mattered. And that he could be loved for who he was.

Thinking of this gave him a tiny bit of peace. He was still royally fucked, but…maybe there was hope. Because even though he was obsessed with Sasuke, and had some mighty strong and questionable feelings for him, those feelings were nothing at all like what he felt for Haku. Compelling as they were, what he felt for Sasuke was ugly. And nothing about anything Haku did or made him feel was ever ugly.

* * *

Wolf stood with his companions, the rest of Sasuke's guard detail, as Sasuke slowly allowed himself to be led out of the mountain by two medics. A medicated eye mask had been placed over his eyes; though it was night, the moon was full, and this faint light would be painful after weeks of darkness.

Sasuke was guided to a scroll that lay unraveled on the ground, and made to stand on one of three circles on it. The medics approached the other two circles. One of them formed a hand seal, after which all three of them disappeared. Sasuke had been transported to the hospital, as per the standard operating procedure for any prisoner who survived the mountain. Wolf had been told that the Hokage would meet them there. He was already vanishing to join his charge.

Tsunade stepped back once her examination was complete. "You seem remarkably alert and aware, all things considered."

Sasuke refrained from commenting, and continued to eat the rich broth he'd been given. It was blessedly hot and delicious.

"Not too malnourished, either," she went on, watching him eat. "Dehydration is moderate, and our vitals are greatly improved over the last time I saw you."

He almost asked if she'd been hoping to collect his corpse tonight. He'd been so hungry at times, when he'd been unable to catch bats or rats, that he'd felt close to death. The bugs had come in handy. "My pathways?" was all he said. He slipped a piece of carrot in his mouth. "Are they still damaged?"

"Not as badly as before. Three weeks without using your chakra helped a lot. Another month or two might see you almost fully restored, though I still say you will never be a hundred percent."

He took this news in silence.

Tsunade stood looking at him a moment more, but finally uncrossed her arms, and nodded at Shizune to fill in his data on the chart she carried. "I don't think you need to remain here once you're done," she told him as she was leaving. "You're free to go. Stay out of trouble this time, Sasuke. My mercy isn't infinite."

* * *

When it was just Wolf, his companions, and Sasuke, Sasuke set aside his empty bowl and stood. He spoke to Wolf, who was all he ever communicated with when it was just the four of them. "I'm going to my apartment."

Wolf inclined his head. Sasuke was not to leave their sight for anything now, including the bathroom, and he was to inform his escort of where he was going before he went.

At the apartment he'd used before moving to the Chuunin barracks, Wolf himself went into the bathroom with Sasuke and watched as he stood beneath the hot spray of his shower for nearly an hour. Sasuke washed his hair several times before getting out, at which point he selected his customary attire of loose white top and black pants. Some time was spent adjusting his clothes, Wolf saw, which was new. Likewise was the comb Sasuke dragged through his shaggy hair. When Sasuke's hand hovered indecisively over his cologne bottle, Wolf exchanged a glance with his companions. There was a secret language ANBU sometimes employed, using only the hands. He made a few discreet gestures now. _He's meeting someone._

_Could be Kiba,_ one of them signed back.

_Do we let him?_ the other asked.

Wolf thought about it, as Sasuke quickly spritzed his chest with the cologne. _So long as he doesn't lay a hand on anyone or access his Doujutsu, we're to observe only._

"I'm going for a walk," Sasuke announced. He was already heading for the door.

-oOo-

_What a stupid method of incarceration_ , Sasuke thought as he took a moment to sense his surroundings. If the one incarcerated in that cavern was of reasonably sound mind and body, as he was, then the constant drain on one's chakra would build the body's tolerance for it. Result: when the individual in question was released, their ability to mold chakra, and in fact the chakra itself, would be many times stronger than when they went in. It had taken him days to discover a way to repress his chakra without the fact that he was doing so being noticed. Since Tsunade seemed unaware of this development, Sasuke concluded that he'd been successful. His mission could move ahead as planned.

His escort would pose no problem.

But first…there was something he needed to settle. Something that would actually have a bearing on whether or not he even went through with his mission now or at some later point in time.

* * *

Naruto sat slumped on his pile of wood. He was spent. Too much crying, too much hurt, and too much shame. He didn't want to think about anyone or anything except somehow finding the energy to go to the construction site come morning. So when someone landed heavily at his side on the woodpile, he barely glanced up. Then he got a good look at who it was, complete with escort standing not too far away, and everything he'd been feeling rushed right back up again to drown him in grief.

Sasuke. Always Sasuke.

-oOo-

Sasuke stared. He couldn't remember ever seeing Naruto cry. Emotional, yes. Maybe a bit teary-eyed during some of their battles, but never anything like this, with him turning his head aside and trying to hide the sound with a swipe of one arm. He stood looking at the back of Naruto's head for what must have been several minutes before it occurred to him that he should speak. "What. Happened?" He cleared his throat; speaking to Naruto never came naturally these days. It was even worse now, when he was on the brink finally speaking the truth. "What happened?" he asked more smoothly.

"Why do you care?" Naruto's voice was ragged and hoarse.

Thanking the gods for the opening being handed to him, Sasuke gave a shrug that Naruto didn't see. "Because…we're friends?"

Naruto snorted.

That wasn't the reaction he was hoping for. Sasuke considered bringing up the fact that they'd shared something out there in the forest, when they'd been in each other's arms. His time in solitary was still fresh in his mind, though, and he was keenly aware of his decision to finally go after Naruto. There had been several more incidents involving thoughts of him that had ended with him using his hand. He didn't love Naruto, but there was something dammit, and he was sick of all the miscommunication between them. Enough bullshit, already. He had plans that needed seeing to, and this thing with Naruto was in the way. He needed it resolved.

To that end…

Sasuke glanced around. "Where's Haku?"

"Gone."

Now Naruto looked at him. The way moonlight picked out the tears on his cheeks and lashes did strange things to Sasuke's insides. Then he frowned. "What?"

"Said he's gone. Left me." Naruto looked at the ground.

Sasuke felt a smirk settle on his face and did nothing to hide it. Here he'd worked up the nerve to finally confront his issues over Naruto, and take Haku on if need be, and it wouldn't even be necessary. The piece of shit had up and left. He'd spent three weeks planning Haku's demise for nothing, it seemed. "Good," he said. "You don't need him."

Naruto stared at him in disbelief. "Do you, like, practice being such an asshole or does it just come naturally like all your other talents?"

"I'm serious. Look at you. He's hurt you-"

Something in Naruto broke right then. He was already raw over Haku, but to have Sasuke show up was simply too much. Bad enough that he called them friends and _shredded_ Naruto's already-tattered nerves by saying so. Bad enough he was showing concern over him; which meant saving his life had been no fluke. He couldn't even think of that right now, but the worst thing was this show of loyalty where there'd never been any. This concern over Naruto being hurt by someone, when Sasuke had never shown concern for anything but his own ass. It was all just too much, and his feelings were too confusing, and he wanted to throw himself in Sasuke's arms again, and kill him, and ask if they were _really_ friends, even though he knew they weren't, and he just broke completely.

"It's not Haku who hurts me," he jumped up and screamed. "It's you! It's _always_ you, that's all you ever do!" Naruto clutched at his hair, pulling out a few blond strands as he sucked in a breath. "Fuck my life, I _hate_ you!"

He was gone in a blast of wind.

Sasuke stood there in shock for a second, maybe two. _I didn't imagine that hug,_ he thought with sudden anger. He was already moving to follow, when Wolf landed in front of him. His other escorts took up positions around him.

He couldn't afford solitary again, not now, but he couldn't very well take them out either.

The agents yelled as the flash of lightning touching down in their midst briefly blinded them. It was only a moment their heads had been turned, but when they looked around again, Sasuke was gone.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Up behind the Hokage monument was a forest-covered plateau, followed by a grassy plain, and then more forest. Konoha's cattle herds and sheep were typically put to pasture in this plain, but seeing as war and the influx of immigrants and workers had depleted the herds, the grass was thick, tall, and uncut. Naruto was swallowed by this grass, running hell bent for leather when Sasuke landed in the plain, spotted him, and gave chase.

-oOo-

For a few minutes, the only sounds in the night were the panting of both boys, their running feet, and the snap and _swish_ of the grass in the wake of their passage. Naruto pulled ahead a few times, but when Sasuke finally tackled him, both knew that he hadn't seriously tried to evade capture. They quickly disentangled themselves and rolled to their feet.

Sasuke lost no time. He shoved Naruto hard, but hung on to his jacket so that he could yell in his face. "If you hate me so much, why didn't you act like it in the forest?"

 _Oh, I am_ so _owning his ass,_ Naruto thought furiously. He answered Sasuke by sending a chakra-enhanced punch right at his face. The crunch of bone and spray of blood were so primitively satisfying that he cried out along with Sasuke. "Nothing _happened_ out there!" he screamed.

" _Everything_ happened out there!" Sasuke's shout was slightly garbled by the blood he spat out. "You and I both know it."

The wind effectively taken out of his sails, Naruto was momentarily speechless. Sasuke's dripping nose reminded him of that night, of how hard he'd fought to save him. Taken with the months of stalking, the jealousy of Haku, the offer of friendship, and his own feelings, Naruto felt his anger slowly dissipate. It was replaced with bone-deep weariness.

A certainty crept up in him. It was the certainty that his issues with Sasuke would never be resolved. "What do you want from me?" he said brokenly. "You spent years making me feel like shit, a few months pissing me off, and a single night saving my life. How am I _supposed_ to feel? What do you _want_?"

Sasuke considered defending himself against the accusations, but there was nothing he could say. He went with the truth. "I want _you_."

Naruto felt a chill pass over his skin. His heart did a single, painful spasm in his chest, but he forced himself to speak calmly. "You want me. What…what does that mean?" He stepped closer to him, eyes running over his bloody face.

"I don't know," Sasuke admitted. "Just-"

"As a friend?"

Sasuke tracked Naruto's progress toward him, while holding his forearm against his nose. His sleeve was soaked with blood, but he didn't want to break eye contact by tipping his head back. Naruto was waiting for an answer. He thought of the two of them laughing and joking around, and knew he could never be that silly or carefree. "Not as a friend, no."

Closer to Sasuke now, Naruto continued to study him. Sasuke was taller. Broader. Older. Masculine. Sasuke wanted him, but not as a friend.

Sasuke chose that moment to break eye contact at last and deal with his nose. He cursed softly.

Naruto reached up, grabbed Sasuke's head in both hands, and kissed him.

Sasuke, caught off guard by the grab, was already pulling back by the time Naruto pressed their lips together. They were still, as blue and black questioned each other. Both boys were stiff with uncertainty. Naruto's eyes dropped to Sasuke's mouth. He moved to kiss him again, but Sasuke jerked his head back, wide-eyed and confused. Hurt clouded Naruto's features. He began turning away, but just as it had on the night he'd saved him, Naruto's disappointment surprised Sasuke. Understanding burst in his mind, illuminating everything. And this time, when he yanked Naruto to him, he was the one who initiated the kiss.

Naruto's face was bowed. Sasuke had to scrunch down to reach it. He kissed him again, feeling his body begin to crackle with desire, then pushed his hands through the wild blond hair, tipped that whiskered face up, and swallowed Naruto's whisper of his name.

* * *

Wolf pulled up some couple hundred yards away, and was treated to the sight of Naruto pushing Sasuke's shirt off, Sasuke unzipping Naruto's jacket, and both of them kissing hungrily the entire time. Then Sasuke lifted Naruto so that Naruto's legs were around his waist, before they sank out of sight and into the tall grass. He stared at where the grass rustled and swayed with their movements, then turned to where his companions crouched behind him, just as uneasy.

"Now what?" one of them asked.

Behind his mask, Wolf wore a worried frown. "Well…technically, he's not harming anyone…"

"So we just sit here and _wait_?"

"I see no other choice," Wolf said. "Hokage-sama never said to prevent him from anything except violence, and approaching the council building. This-"

A moan drifted on the breeze, to where the three agents sat.

"We wait," Wolf muttered.

* * *

Where Haku's body was always so satiny smooth, Sasuke's was like living stone. Hard with muscle, and rough with scars, but warm and yielding. He didn't submit, not to Naruto's tugging hands, or his initial attempts to lead, but he yielded himself with more intemperance than Naruto would have believed him capable of.

He spent long minutes making love to Naruto's face. Kissing him with hot, firm insistence until Naruto had to turn away to breathe. Sasuke's head followed him, kissing his jaw, then his mouth again once he'd turned Naruto's head back to him. Naruto gave in. He slipped his arms around Sasuke's back with a moan of surrender.

It was so much more than either of them ever thought they'd have from the other that for a long time this was enough. Just feeling one another's solid weight and tasting each other was enough. It satisfied something raw and gaping in each boy for a time. It was an answer to a question that had gone unasked for as long as they'd known each other.

But for Naruto, it wasn't the answer he'd expected.

The kiss sealed a wound he'd carried for four years, but in doing so it also connected him to Sasuke as he'd never been before. Obviously, they were sharing themselves with each other, but he wondered if Sasuke knew just how _much_ of himself he was sharing. And he wondered how much longer he himself would have continued to be blind to who Sasuke was had this night not happened.

He let Sasuke touch him. Touched him in turn. Kissed when he wanted to be kissed. Tasted what he wanted to taste. Inhaled the spicy smell of him. This was happening here, right now, and he would experience it all. It was what he'd wanted. Not to immerse himself in it completely would have been criminal at this point; the arrival of this night had cost him way too much.

And it wasn't bad at all. Sasuke's lips and tongue and hands made him feel good. There was power in those hands that Sasuke made no effort to hide. They bruised in their excitement, and soothed immediately afterward. He responded to it, to being handled so roughly, and returned the caresses with just as much heat and excitement.

It hurt when Sasuke entered him, but it was a good hurt. Sasuke held his face, gazing into his eyes. Naruto looked back and thought, _There. There he is, I've reached him. I've finally reached him._ He looked and looked, for as long as Sasuke moved inside him, and saw everything. He thought his heart would break then, but it didn't. It held.

And when their excitement built to its peak, he brought Sasuke's head to his, so that they were nose to nose, and closed his arms tightly around him. He held him close as the world imploded in a silent shower of sparks for them both.

* * *

His walk to the west sector was a quiet, solitary, and peaceful little journey. The sun was barely over the horizon. No one was up yet. He was early. The air was crisp and cold, but the sun promised to take the edge off by mid-morning. He filled his lungs with the invigorating air, held it, and let it out slowly. Turned his face up to the light and let it bathe his face in warmth.

Naruto stood still in the middle of the dusty road. Just stood there, with his face toward the sky and his eyes closed. He wanted to remember this moment. This little walk to work. Then he opened his eyes. He looked behind himself and saw the boy he'd been. Looked ahead and saw the man he could be. He slowly put one foot in front of the other, leaving it all behind, and knew peace. It filled him. And the feeling was wonderful.

-oOo-

Kiba was already at the site, bent over a blueprint he'd spread on a stack of planks. He looked up when Naruto entered the far side of the area. Naruto smiled and lifted a hand in greeting, but Kiba's face seemed to close up. He went back to staring at the blueprint.

Naruto strolled over, prepared to greet him properly, but Kiba walked away from him. He actually went into the foreman's hut and slammed the door.

* * *

Tsunade tossed her pen down on her desk, leaned back, and folded her arms. "Absolutely not."

"But Granny!"

"Naruto." When he'd closed his mouth and slumped back in his own chair, she continued. "It is out of the question. And you should know better than to ask me for such a favor."

"But I _have_ to! You don't understand, if you don't let me do this, then-"

"Then what? The world will end? Tell me, is this matter really so urgent, or are you simply too impatient to let things take their course?"

"Well, it's urgent to _me_ ," he grumbled.

"Exactly. To you. Not to anyone else. And where personal feelings and matters are concerned, Naruto, it's best to remember that they always take a back seat to everything else. Children and civilians put their needs before others. Not ninja. And not Kage."

He remembered his feeling of peace from before, and his decision to leave boyish dreams behind. He would never be a man if he didn't begin to act like one. "That's not fair," he whispered. "But I guess you're right."

"No one said life was fair, but I'm glad you agree." Then, because he looked so disappointed, she added, "I'm sorry."

She had to wonder at his capitulation, though; Naruto never gave up.

* * *

Naruto was back at the site right as the whistle for second shift blew. Kiba continued to ignore him. It was hours before he realized what was wrong. "It's not what you think," he said quietly.

"I'm beginning to think you're a liar as well as a traitorous, disloyal piece of shit," Kiba said as he sawed a plank. "I told you he was off limits, and what do you do? Show up with the stench of you two fucking all over you. We're done."

Naruto straightened from his own plank. " _What_?"

"You heard me. We're done." Kiba threw down his saw and walked over to poke Naruto hard in the chest. "And you know what? Bad as you stabbing me in the back is, it's not as bad as how you did this the _second_ Haku left. He's been sent away because of _you_ , and you couldn't wait to celebrate your freedom. That…you're just garbage, Naruto. I don't associate with shit like you."

"The fuck! You know me better than that, Kiba. You know I wouldn't-"

"So you didn't fuck Sasuke last night?"

Naruto's mouth twisted. "I didn't betray Haku. He left. He's not coming back."

"So that makes it okay?"

"It makes it none of your business," Naruto shot back. "You have no idea what happened, or what you're talking about. I didn't go after Sasuke, okay? _He_ came to _me_. "

"And you just bent over for him out of the goodness and charity of your heart. Well here's what I think of that." And Kiba violently spat at Naruto's feet.

Naruto stepped right up to Kiba, whose chest swelled with anger as he stood his ground. "If he's yours, he doesn't act like it, so why don't you just _lay the fuck off me_?" He shoved his plank at Kiba, who caught it out of reflex, and stalked off the premises.

* * *

Sasuke woke in his bed, in his apartment, to find that the sun was setting. His escort was there, crouching in various spots in his room, and watching him. They straightened up to form a line at the foot of his bed once they saw he was awake. Sasuke sat up, looked at them, then frowned toward the window.

Confusion had him for a moment, but that cleared up soon enough. He remembered an amazing night with Naruto, but he had no memory of coming back to his place. The last thing he did remember was lying side by side with Naruto when they were done, and watching him calmly stare at the brightening sky. Dawn had been moments away. He'd touched Naruto's shoulder, intending to ask him something. Naruto had turned his head to look at him, and his eyes had been so blue, Sasuke remembered. Such a deep enigmatic shade of blue. He'd smiled at Naruto, and remembered thinking how seldom he ever smiled from genuine pleasure. And Naruto had smiled back, one of his wide, blinding smiles.

He must have dozed. He'd never been able to sleep comfortably while left in the mountain, and he hadn't taken the time to rest once he'd been released before setting out after Naruto. Wolf and his team must have crept up on him while he'd been sleeping, put him into a deeper sleep, and carted him back here. He looked at them now.

The tension coming off them suggested that they were very aware of what he'd done last night, but they made no move to bind or seal him. Maybe escaping them the way he had would go unpunished. He hadn't touched them, after all, and he hadn't hurt anyone. He decided to just come right out and ask. "Am I in trouble?"

Wolf was a few moments answering. "That would depend."

"On?"

"On whether or not you plan to engage in intimate activities in the future."

Sasuke's heart lurched hard just at the idea of touching Naruto again. "Probably."

"Then I will ask Hokage-sama if this is to be allowed. If she says yes, there will be no need for you to behave as you did last night, will there?"

"No," Sasuke blinked. "There wouldn't."

"Which would mean that last night's rebellion was a single occurrence that will not be repeated. Even if Hokage-sama says no." His question hung in the air.

"It won't be repeated," Sasuke said gravely.

"Then we understand each other. May I ask your plans?"

 _I plan to fuck Naruto again as soon as possible._ A feeling of such gladness swept over Sasuke that he forgot himself enough to grin where he sat. The agents stood looking at this with their bland masks, until Sasuke eased off the bed.

-oOo-

He was sore, he realized. His chakra might have been stronger than ever, but his body was still weakened from his incarceration. Naruto hadn't been gentle, either. He made it to the bathroom, where Wolf followed him, and got a good look at his face.

His nose was broken and swollen, and he looked like hell. "I guess I need to go to the hospital," he said in answer to Wolf's question. "But after that I want to speak to Naruto." And he was starving. Maybe Naruto would consent to eat with him…

It wasn't until he was in the shower that his mission came back to him. His hand stilled in the process of scrubbing his chest. He'd told himself that if Naruto accepted him, he would set the mission aside for a time, but now a new thought came to him. He could have the council dead _and_ honor his brother. Naruto need never know of it, and the mission itself would only require added stealth if he was going to remain in the village. That would need careful thought, and his plans would have to be restructured. Which would take time…time in which he could explore this new thing with Naruto. See just how much of Naruto he really had and what could be done with it.

Perfect.

* * *

Naruto was on his way to the east sector, where security was a bit lax, when Sasuke dropped down beside him. His escort landed a second later, and Naruto suddenly had a sneaking suspicion that they'd witnessed him and Sasuke going at it last night. That thought stained his cheeks red, but Sasuke was speaking to him.

"-okay?"

"Huh?"

"Said are you okay."

Naruto pulled his mind from the way the agents avoided looking at them, and focused completely on Sasuke. The broken nose he'd given him last night had been bandaged, he saw. Sasuke's voice was a bit nasally because of it.

He was actually glad he'd run into him. Saved him the trouble of hunting him up later. "Yeah, I'm fine. You?" Sasuke seemed to be trying not to smile, he noted. Weird.

"Yeah. Good. I'm good. "Do you…" he stopped, but Naruto only put his hands in his pockets and blinked at him. "Do you want…food?"

Naruto considered responses, before deciding that food was safe enough. "Yeah, I can eat. I got something to do first, though."

"Oh. Okay." Then, because he thought it was expected, he leaned in and awkwardly tried to kiss Naruto. Suigetsu and Juugo had known to keep their distance from him unless they were all in bed together, but he'd seen the way Naruto behaved with Haku. Sasuke thought maybe Naruto was the kind who liked that sort of thing. He could comply, if he had to.

"Whoa." Naruto checked him with a hand on his chest. "Sasuke…"

Sasuke pulled back immediately, and hid his relief. "I shouldn't have done that, you're right."

Naruto nodded…then sighed. He put his hand back in his pocket. "Look, I think we need to talk about last night."

"Yes." Here they would have their relationship established, Sasuke knew, the way his clone had heard Haku ask Naruto on that fateful day. Naruto would ask him how committed he was, and what his feelings truly were. And though he had no idea how to answer either question, Sasuke was confident that Naruto, at least, loved him enough to overlook that.

Naruto loved him. The knowledge still left his insides feeling shaky and unraveled. He wouldn't _need_ to control Naruto. His love for Sasuke would do that on its own-

"I'm done," Naruto said quietly.

Sasuke blinked. "Done? Done what?"

"Done chasing you."

It was a long moment before the meaning of that clarified itself to Sasuke. When it did, it brought such a sharp feeling of pain in his chest that he couldn't breathe at first. He kept his face blank only by force of habit, trying to understand, to be logical about why Naruto's words would hurt him. "What?" he managed. His voice didn't shake. He was proud of that. "What do you mean?"

Naruto spoke. Said some things Sasuke found trouble hearing, much less understanding. He stared at Naruto lips. They were hurting him now, but last night he'd been unable to stop tasting them. Had marveled that for all the noise and screaming that mouth was capable of, it was surprisingly gentle and skilled when it came to love.

 _Love_?

Naruto stopped speaking. In the silence that followed, Sasuke felt his pain begin crystallizing into something hard and icy and unbreakable. "You're giving up on me," he said.

Naruto didn't respond at first, looking down at his feet. _You're a coward,_ Sasuke thought at him viciously. The pain was locked away behind his new shell, but he could still feel it. When Naruto lifted his face, he saw that his eyes were swimming in tears, and the sight quieted his fury for the moment. Maybe he'd misinterpreted…

-oOo-

Sasuke's face was as close to panic as Naruto had ever seen it. He hadn't thought this conversation would be so hard, but then he hadn't expected Sasuke to behave the way he was doing.

"I guess I am giving up on you," he whispered. He scuffed his shoe in the dirt, fisting his hands in his pockets. He was unable to look at Sasuke now. _This_ felt like a betrayal, not what they'd done last night. "I used to think that if I ever gave up on something it would mean I was weak," he went on when he could manage it. "That I would never achieve anything if I gave up. Now, though…I think I'm starting to realize that there had to be at least one thing I gave up on in life. That sometimes you _have_ to give up, or you end up destroying yourself. That giving up doesn't always mean you're losing something. Sometimes giving up lets you see things you were missing." He finally looked up at Sasuke, whose face was frozen. "Maybe you should give up too. Whatever it is you can't let go, that makes you so mad all the time."

Now Sasuke spoke, swallowing hard as he said, "And what was last night? What was that?" His voice was rising and his mask was cracking.

Naruto marveled that he'd been on the other side of a conversation exactly like this not quite 24 hours ago. "Last night was me finally realizing that what I'd been chasing all this time was a dead end. It was me seeing it as a dead end for the first time. Realizing that _that_ , what we shared, was all I'd ever have of you. Your body. The rest is empty.

"I have limits. I realized that last night too. That I can do some pretty amazing things when I try hard, but that I'm still just me. I can't do the impossible, much as I'd like to. I know that now. Just as I know that you're broken, Sasuke. And that I can't fix you. Last night," Naruto finished heavily, "was me letting you go."

A stiff wind blew down their deserted street, as if washing away hopes and dreams.

"That's it?" Sasuke yelled suddenly. "You give up on me and what…go back to Haku?" _Why was this hurting him so much?_

"Haku loves me."

" _I_ can love you!"

Wolf and his comrades had been listening intently. It wasn't just them who gasped when Sasuke said this last, but Sasuke himself. He stood there, mouth hanging open in apparent shock over his own words, but he didn't take them back. He repeated them. "I can," he said stubbornly.

Naruto gave a sad smile. "No you can't."

"You haven't given me the chance to."

Naruto considered it. He really stood there and considered Sasuke's white face, the way his voice shook, and how close he looked to violence. But he also remembered every day of the past four years. Every single one. Last night wasn't enough to turn that around, or make him forget. Even if it was, it still didn't change the truth of what _was_. "Love isn't something you try to do. You either love someone or you don't. Remember what I said about dead ends?

"You-"

"You have one too. Whatever it is you're chasing, whatever your reason for coming back to the village is, just stop. Let it go. See it for the dead end it is, turn around, and just…try something new."

"If I did, would you give me a chance?" Sasuke asked. His voice was so low that his lips barely moved, but all present heard the faint tremble of desperation in it.

Another long moment passed, wherein they stared hard at each other. "No," Naruto said. "I don't trust you."

And with that, Sasuke felt the pain in him break. His head lowered till he was looking at the ground, and he didn't have to see those blue eyes anymore. All he felt now was the coldness of his shell within, where it was now moving through the rest of his insides, sealing away the unprotected parts of him. It was comfortably familiar, and he realized that this was how he'd lived before killing Itachi. _And I will kill you too, Naruto._

"I'll still be your friend if you want," Naruto said uncertainly. "Try to be, anyway. But beyond that…"

Sasuke raised his eyes. Only his eyes. At seeing the dark, wild hatred in them, Naruto wisely shut his mouth. Sasuke would never see, and never learn. And that was fine with him, he decided. Sasuke was someone else's problem now. There was an entire world out there that Naruto had ignored for four years. And there was one person in it that he intended to discover it with.

"See you around, Sasuke." _That's how the other conversation ended too,_ Naruto thought as he walked away.

He felt a million pounds lighter. A smile stretched his lips, and he thought, _I'm free!_ He hadn't felt free in… _Never. I've never felt this good._

* * *

Up in a tree, nearly directly above where the boys had stood, Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the feel of Sasuke's chakra. She was sure he thought he'd fooled her in the hospital. She'd let him think so, but she'd been keenly aware of the spike his chakra had taken during his confinement. Even so, what she'd felt then had only been a taste of what she was feeling now.

She'd brought along three ANBU units when she'd set out to follow Naruto, simply because she was sure he'd go against her decision. They were hidden nearby, and masked. She made a hand signal now, and directed those units to assist Wolf and his small team, who were now standing around Sasuke and asking him to release his chakra.

Before she dropped down to join them, she glanced at where Naruto was disappearing around a bend in the road, completely uncaring of the chakra Sasuke was putting out. She realized that he must have known she and her team were nearby, and a gave a small, approving smirk.

The speech he'd given Sasuke was one she would commit to memory. She would repeat it to him when he took office, and let him know that it was the day she'd realized that he was finally growing up.

-oOo-

"What's the meaning of this?" Sasuke asked when she landed in front of him. His eyes traveled over the other three ANBU units. "I haven't done anything wrong."

"No, you haven't," Tsunade agreed. Though she would be speaking to Wolf immediately about whatever Sasuke and Naruto had done last night. That was a development she should have been apprised of immediately. "However, your chakra is considerably more than what you let on. I think now would be a good time for the practical assessment of your skill set."

Whether or not he believed her, she couldn't tell. All she cared about was the way he let himself be led away by Wolf and the other units. _He appears meek, but that look on his face speaks volumes._ After a moment, she followed them.

* * *

By the time she made it back to Naruto, she was alone. She sensed him at a broken down section of the east wall, where security was mysteriously absent.

He'd shown great strides toward maturity today, so it disappointed her that he would still go behind her back like this. She was about to unmask herself and make her presence known when she finally arrived at his location and saw just what he was doing. Her eyes widened.

-oOo-

Naruto looked up and behind himself. For a moment he thought he'd heard a sound, but the tree was deserted. He could access the natural energy around him and sense if he was being followed by Granny again, he supposed, but there wasn't time.

He turned back to where his clones, one thousand of them, were clustered below him, just outside the village wall. They looked up at him with serious eyes, faces camouflaged with dirt. "Okay," he said quietly. "Repeat the message one more time. What are you going to say when you find him?"

They spoke with one voice. Subdued as they were, it still made the tree Tsunade was standing on tremble.

"Haku," the clones intoned. "Granny has forbidden me to come after you in person, and she won't abort your mission, so I'm sending clones.

"Maybe you were right about some things, but you were wrong about others. I hated you for leaving, but I'm glad now that you did since I might not have realized the truth if you hadn't. I'll explain more when you come home. Please come back to me, Haku. You're the only one I want, and the only one I love. If you don't come back, you'll force me to come after you, and I will. I don't care what Granny says. I'm not letting you go, not ever. So hurry home. Please, just hurry back home when your mission's done."

Naruto nodded, but chewed his lip. Should he say more? He couldn't think of anything else. "Go," he told his clones. "Find him. And tell him…tell him I love him. Don't forget that part. Tell him I love him more than anything else."

The clones scattered like so many leaves in the wind.


End file.
